McCain nears 40th anniversary of his capture

Forty years ago this week, a North Vietnamese missile blew John McCain out of the sky over Vietnam, marking the start of a dramatic military episode that would give rise to a compelling political career.

The story was gripping enough as it unfolded in real time: McCain, then 31, was the son of then-Vice Adm. John S. McCain Jr., the Navy's European commander who eventually would take over responsibilities for the Pacific Ocean, which included Vietnam. His grandfather, Adm. John S. McCain Sr., had been a naval hero who battled the Japanese in World War II.

But McCain's Oct. 26, 1967, downing, capture and subsequent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war also became the back story of McCain's success in politics and an underpinning of his two presidential campaigns.

The four-term senator recently said he doesn't have any plans to mark the 40th anniversary.

"I'm thinking out loud here — maybe I could take a plane and fly over Hanoi again and see if they still want to shoot at me," said McCain, 71. "No, it's not a special day. ... I don't think I'll do anything special on it. Maybe call up some of my old buddies."

Still, McCain's brutal captivity in Hanoi's custody is hardly a distant memory, at least as far as his presidential aspirations are concerned.

New Hampshire television ads include vintage black-and-white footage of a broken and battered McCain and remind voters in the early primary state which candidate "sacrificed for his country."

And when McCain condemns the use of torture as un-American, no one doubts his credibility.

Some political analysts believe that McCain's military biography is perhaps his greatest political asset. It also could stir dormant support in New Hampshire, the state where McCain defeated then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000 but has struggled this year against Republican rivals Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Rudy Giuliani of New York.

"His numbers are back up in New Hampshire," national pollster John Zogby said. "McCain began running the ad with him as the war hero and POW and the suggestion from people on the ground is that it is working."

McCain's capture

Navy Lt. Cmdr. McCain had already seen his share of action before getting shot down.