Faith of My Fathers

Faith of My Fathers, by John McCain (with Mark Salter)

I have not read very many memoirs or biographies of political figures. I have very little experience in the topic, "Life Stories of Politicians." I do not know if this book should rank highest of its kind, or even whether or not there ARE others of its kind. However, I did enjoy the book quite a bit.

This is a book that gives the reader an idea of where John McCain's life stands in relation to the lives of other members on his family tree. The son and grandson of four-star admirals, he has a lot to live up to. He also describes the martial history of many of his ancestors. One of my father's hobbies is genealogy, so I can appreciate the many hours that Senator McCain would have to put into gathering all that information. I know the names of one or two family members older than my grandfathers who served in some war or another but I could not tell you with any certainty what their accomplishments were, or whether they died in service or died long after the war was over. It struck me that the amount of genealogical research involved was almost as impressive as the list of military deeds dating back hundreds of years.

Also interesting to note is the Senator's humility. The book seems to be written from the point of view of an old man who is looking back at his life and reflecting that his actions were stupid, but that long-term regret is a waste of time. Better to regret things just enough that you do something to right the wrong you've done, but not to pine away forever about it. Despite the appearance of looking back on his life, its good to know that he is still alive ten years after writing the book and can now add "running for president" to his list of accomplishments.

During the presidential campaign this year, I noticed that Mr. McCain didn't seem to be phased by all the criticism regarding his choices or his beliefs. Some of the others in the political light tried to defend themselves regarding the question of experience, expertise, or what they believe. McCain seemed unapologetic, and rubbed it in the faces of his detractors by unapologetically picking Sarah Palin for a running mate. After reading the book, I now understand that that is simply his nature. He was not popular at the Naval Academy for refusing to submit to hazing. He tells the story that just before graduating from the Academy he had the opportunity to perform a complicated procedure linking two warships traveling at full speed, and did it without batting an eye. As a POW, he spoke his mind to his captors often during his five year captivity and was punished for it. Some could call it being pigheaded, others might say he was standing up for what he believed, and others might say he was just stupid. But the one thing that came across the strongest to me in his book is that whether his actions led to failure or to success, he did not care what people would say to him or do to him if he did them.

The one exception to that is his regard for his father. There is a story about when the Vietnamese tortured him so much that he broke, and signed a propaganda confession of his war crimes so that everyone would know that the son of an admiral thought America was the bad guy. The primary thing on his mind was not about what the other POWs thought or what the reporters would say, but "Does my father know? Will he ever talk to me again?" I find this interesting because it shows the contrast between the world in which Mr. McCain grew up and the world today. The role of fathers today has been undercut. People now do things regardless of the consequences to their family, to their friends, or even to themselves.

Another indication that the world McCain grew up in has changed is the concept of honor. In the several chapters on his time in Vietnam, we see that he followed the POW honor code (obedience to the highest commanding officer in captivity, refusing release until those captured first are released, refusing actions that will dishonor the US, refusing actions that will bring harm to a fellow POW). This is interesting to me because I know of very few people anymore who will make self-sacrificing decisions. I am not talking about your run-of-the-mill, driving your kids to dance practice and soccer games at the expense of your time. It does not mean taking some time out of your day to listen to the awful day your friend had. I am talking about decisions that will cost you your life or serious bodily harm for someone else's benefit. This kind of thing no longer happens, and to me, it makes the book a tribute to something I may see only very rarely in my lifetime.

One major problem I had with the book is that it was not organized. I love order. When you start telling me a story, you need to start at the beginning. I felt that the events in the book stood alone on little islands and instead of having a plan, I was in a little rowboat passing all the islands one by one, but not in any particular order. In my mind, it resembles the little black dotted path taken by Billy from The Family Circus when he is out playing in the yard.

This book started with the abbreviated life history of John Sidney McCain, Senior. Then it went to the even more brief story of his brother, Bill. We then go back in time to the American Revolution, the Civil War, the union of the McCains with the Youngs in 1877, a brief reference to Queen Mary of Scotland 300 years earlier, and then a gradual progression in time mentioning notable relatives, their accomplishments, and in what capacity and war they fought.

This same time travel issue is also evident in his descriptions of the Vietnam War. Each chapter in the section after his account of being shot down, appears to have a vague topic, rather than describing the events of a particular year in the order they occurred. Thus, the reader can learn something about the order in which McCain recieved news of the outside world chronologically and then in the next chapter we go back in time to learn about the quality of the various camps he was in (chronologically), and later go back in time again and learn that when he was in "the Zoo" something we learned about two chapters ago occurred, and when he was moved to "the Plantation" that other thing happened.

While this makes it more of a challenging read, it also gives the illusion of chatting with Mr. McCain himself and listening to him remember things about his life. People write books in chronological order. They recount their memories almost at random, as their brains bring the story to mind. So in that sense, it is definitely, without a doubt, a memoir.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in Vietnam War history, anyone interested in genealogy, anyone interested in the stories of POWs, anyone who claims they voted FOR McCain and not just AGAINST Obama, and anyone who wants to appreciate their father or forefathers.