Although some Republicans see McCain as a controversial political figure due to his unorthodox political decisions—he chose to vote down a bill that would repeal the Affordable Health Care Act (NBC News had the apt title: “McCain hated Obamacare. He also saved it.”), almost all Americans have a huge respect for McCain’s military service, especially given the years that he served as a POW.
For his service and as a prisoner-of-war, McCain received the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Legion of Merit with Combat ‘V’ and one gold star, the Bronze Star Medal with Combat ‘V’ and two gold stars, two Purple Hearts, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the Prisoner-of-War medal. In October 2017, McCain received the Liberty Medal.
Diagnosed with a type of brain cancer in July 2017, McCain decided to discontinue treatment on August 24, 2018, dying on August 25, 2018. McCain’s remains laid in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, a high honor that has been presented to fewer than three dozen people, including Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.