Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will be the 34th person to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, an honor reserved for a select group of men and women who led highly distinguished lives displaying unusual heroism, courage and devotion in service to the American republic.
He will thus join the likes of former presidents Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, along with civil rights hero Rosa Parks, world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, and unknown soldiers from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Related: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of John McCain
McCain was shot down on a bombing run over Hanoi, North Vietnam, in 1967 and spent nearly six years as a prisoner of war in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.” During that time, McCain endured endless hours of solitary confinement, torture, and malnutrition.
Offered an opportunity to go home ahead of his fellow POWs, McCain refused, choosing to continue sharing their suffering and thereby demonstrating the American spirit of resolve at its best.
The Rotunda service will begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. It will be followed by time for members of the public to pay their respects as McCain lies in state for the rest of the day.
Watch the livestream here:
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