Conservative Christian groups have praised Senator John McCain's humbleness and patriotism after hearing his revealing acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last week during which he spoke up about his family's three generations of painful war experiences.
The former prisoner of war, who has been accused of being a war enthusiast, said that his grandfather, a navy admiral, had died the day after returning home from World War II.
When he was five-years-old, Japan had bombed Pearl Harbour after which his father, also a navy officer, was called into battle and McCain rarely saw him for four years.
In his case, McCain's plane was shot down during the Vietnam War and he was held a prisoner in Hanoi for six years where he faced torture and humiliation.
"I hate war," McCain stated in his speech as the Republican presidential nominee Thursday night. "It is terrible beyond imagination."
But perhaps more interesting than his family's well-known and impressive service to the country is the transformation McCain underwent during his years in prison.
The man vying to hold the highest US government position admitted that going into Vietnam he was arrogant, self-centred and thought he was "tougher than anyone".
"I liked to bend a few rules, and pick a few fights for the fun of it," McCain said. "But I did it for my own pleasure; my own pride. I didn't think there was a cause more important than me."
However, after enduring broken bones that were not set right, losing weight until he was only about a hundred pounds, and being unable to feed himself, he said he began to learn the "limits of my selfish independence".
Other American POWs comforted McCain when he was dejected and encouraged him to get back up to fight for the country.
"I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's," he said emotionally. "I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people.
