EDINBURG, RGV - Hidalgo Commissioners Court honored U.S. Sen. John McCain on Tuesday.
The Arizona Republican passed away Saturday aged 81 after fighting gallantly against a deadly form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma.
McCain was a Vietnam War hero who devoted his life to public service. One of the issues he tried to get his Senate colleagues to support was comprehensive immigration reform.
He served six terms in the Senate and ran twice for president of the United States.
During the Vietnam War McCain endured five years as a prisoner of war and was tortured by the Viet Cong. He had the chance to return home during those five years but refused to do so until all other American prisoners were released.
Hidalgo County Commissioners held a moment of silence with County Judge Ramon Garcia offering this tribute:
"Late Saturday afternoon, we joined the rest of the country in mourning the death of Sen. John McCain. Today we honor him for the great statesman and true American hero that he was," Garcia said.
"Sen. McCain served our nation for 60 years. A dedicated navy fighter pilot who narrowly escaped death during a fire aboard the USS Forrestal that killed 134 of his shipmates; he narrowly escaped death again a few months later when he was shot down over Hanoi during his twenty-third bombing mission in October 1967.
“Seriously injured, he was captured by enemy forces who refused him medical treatment and beat him. He spent five-an-a-half years in a prisoner of war camp nicknamed by U.S. POW's 'the Hanoi Hilton.' Two of those years were spent in solitary confinement; and, although he was offered early release by the North Vietnamese who wanted to exploit the fact that his father was a prominent admiral, Sen. McCain refused, adhering to the military code of 'first in, first out.'
"During his years in Congress and the Senate, he was known as a 'maverick' because he didn't always follow the party line. Sen. McCain believed in duty, honor, and country first. He was a throwback to an earlier era when political leaders, without betraying their own ideology, were willing to cross partisan lines.
"When asked how he would like to be remembered, Sen. McCain responded: 'He served his country, and not always right – he made a lot of mistakes, made a lot of errors – but served his country, and I hope we could add, honorably.' There is no doubt that Sen. McCain will be remembered for his heroism, bravery, and for serving his country with honor."
