John McCain

thank you __PUNCT__

for mani year in my life __PUNCT__ i lack a fix address for ani signific length of time __PUNCT__

jacksonvil came closer to be a hometown for me than ani place in the countri __PUNCT__

my famili_live here befor i went to war __PUNCT__ and thi is the place i came home to after the war __PUNCT__

we live here again in __NUM__ for two year __PUNCT__ when i wa execut offic __PUNCT__ and then command_offic of va __NUM__ the replac air group at cecil field __PUNCT__

so it alwai feel a bit like a homecom whenev i return here __PUNCT__

thi place wa never more special to me than dure my unexpectedli long deploy oversea __PUNCT__ when the good_peopl of thi place look after my famili in my absenc __PUNCT__

i have alwai been indebt to florida friend and neighbor in orang park for take such good care of my famili while i wa awai __PUNCT__

our neighbor in orang park __PUNCT__ mani of whom __PUNCT__ but not all __PUNCT__ were navi famili __PUNCT__ were extraordinarili kind and gener while i wa in vietnam __PUNCT__

thei were the mainstai of my famili support __PUNCT__

thei help with the mainten of our home __PUNCT__ took my children to sport event __PUNCT__ offer whatev counsel and support wa need __PUNCT__ and gener help keep my famili togeth __PUNCT__ bodi and soul __PUNCT__ until i could get back to them __PUNCT__

thei were noth less than an extend_famili to my famili __PUNCT__ and their love and concern were as much a mark of their good charact as it wa a bless to the peopl thei help __PUNCT__

my daughter __PUNCT__ sidnei __PUNCT__ wa an infant when i first left for vietnam __PUNCT__

she did not know me __PUNCT__ or i her veri well __PUNCT__ when i return mani year later to find a bright and cheer six year old littl girl wait for me __PUNCT__

i __PUNCT__ too __PUNCT__ wa a differ person when we were reunit than i had been when we part __PUNCT__

not in everi respect __PUNCT__ but certainli in import wai __PUNCT__

in the upheav of war __PUNCT__ that great level of ego and distinct __PUNCT__ thing chang __PUNCT__

war is a remorseless scaveng __PUNCT__ hack through the jungl of deceit __PUNCT__ pretens __PUNCT__ and self __PUNCT__ delus to find truth __PUNCT__ some of it ugli __PUNCT__ some of it starkli beauti __PUNCT__ to find virtu and expos iniqu where we never expect them to resid __PUNCT__

no other human_experi exist on the same plane __PUNCT__

it is a surpass ironi of war __PUNCT__ for all the horror and heroism it occas __PUNCT__ it provid the soldier with everi conceiv human experi __PUNCT__

experi that usual take a lifetim to know ar all felt __PUNCT__ and felt intens __PUNCT__ in on brief passag of life __PUNCT__

anyon who lose a love on know what great sorrow feel like __PUNCT__

and ani on who give life to a child know what great joi feel like __PUNCT__

the combat veteran know what great loss and great joi feel like when thei occur in the same moment __PUNCT__ the same experi __PUNCT__

it can be transform __PUNCT__

in vietnam __PUNCT__ where i form the closest friendship of my life __PUNCT__ some of those friend never came home to the countri thei love so well __PUNCT__

i detest war __PUNCT__

it might not be the worst_thing to befal human be __PUNCT__ but it is wretch beyond all descript __PUNCT__

not the valor with which it is fought nor the nobil of the caus it serv __PUNCT__ can glorifi war __PUNCT__

whatev gain ar secur __PUNCT__ it is loss the veteran rememb most keenli __PUNCT__

onli a fool or a fraud sentiment the merciless realiti of war __PUNCT__

howev headi the appeal of a call to arm __PUNCT__ howev just the caus __PUNCT__ we should still shed a tear for all that is lost when war claim it wage from us __PUNCT__

howev gloriou the caus __PUNCT__ it doe not defin the experi of war __PUNCT__

war mock our ideal concept of glori __PUNCT__ whether thei ar genuin and worthi or someth less __PUNCT__

war ha it own truth __PUNCT__

and if glori can be found in war __PUNCT__ it is a differ concept altogeth __PUNCT__

it is a hard __PUNCT__ press __PUNCT__ bloodi __PUNCT__ and soil glori __PUNCT__ steeli and forbear __PUNCT__

it is decenc and love persist amid aw degrad __PUNCT__ in unsurpass suffer __PUNCT__ miseri __PUNCT__ and cruelti __PUNCT__

it is the discoveri that we belong to someth bigger than ourselv __PUNCT__

in the immediaci __PUNCT__ chao __PUNCT__ destruct and shock of war __PUNCT__ soldier ar bound by duti and militari disciplin to endur and overcom __PUNCT__

their duti and loyalti belong to their countri __PUNCT__

thei find solac in their faith in god __PUNCT__

but their strongest loyalti __PUNCT__ the bond that cannot break __PUNCT__ is to the caus that is their alon __PUNCT__ each other __PUNCT__

it is through loyalti to comrad in arm that thei begin to understand that to love on countri is to love on countrymen __PUNCT__ and to serv the nation ideal that commenc their person transform __PUNCT__

when war is over __PUNCT__ thei might have the largest but not exclus claim on the success of their nation caus and seldom share in the blame for it failur __PUNCT__

but their claim is shorn of all romanc __PUNCT__ all nostalgia for the suffer with which it wa won __PUNCT__

from that crucibl thei have but on prize __PUNCT__ on honor __PUNCT__ that thei had withstood the savageri and loss of war and were found worthi by the men who stood with them __PUNCT__

thi is the truth of war __PUNCT__ of honor and courag __PUNCT__

befor i went to war it mean wa obscur to me __PUNCT__ hidden in the spare languag of men who had gone to war befor me and been chang forev by the experi __PUNCT__

the naval_academi __PUNCT__ with it inanim and live memori to fidel and valor __PUNCT__ tri to teach thi truth to me __PUNCT__

but i had interpret the lesson __PUNCT__ as i had interpret my father exampl __PUNCT__ within the limit of my vaniti __PUNCT__

i thought glori wa the object of war __PUNCT__ and all glori wa self __PUNCT__ glori __PUNCT__

no more __PUNCT__

for i had learn the truth __PUNCT__ there ar greater pursuit than self __PUNCT__ seek __PUNCT__

glori is not a conceit __PUNCT__

it is not a decor for valor __PUNCT__

it is not a prize for be the strongest __PUNCT__ the most clever __PUNCT__ or the boldest __PUNCT__

glori belong to the act of be constant to someth greater than yourself __PUNCT__ to the caus __PUNCT__ to your principl __PUNCT__ to the peopl on whom you reli __PUNCT__ and who reli on you in return __PUNCT__

no misfortun __PUNCT__ no injuri __PUNCT__ no humili can destroi it __PUNCT__

the qualiti of persev for your own sake __PUNCT__ for your reput or your sens of person honor is good but over valu __PUNCT__

persev with other for a common_goal is not onli more satisfi in the end __PUNCT__ but teach you someth about life you might not have known befor __PUNCT__ and can influenc your direct in wai your own fortitud never could __PUNCT__

i onc thought i wa man enough for almost ani confront __PUNCT__

in prison __PUNCT__ i discov i wa not __PUNCT__

i tri to us everi person resourc i had to confound my captor __PUNCT__ and it wasn't enough in the end __PUNCT__

but when i had reach the limit of my endur __PUNCT__ the men i had the honor of serv with pick me up __PUNCT__ set me right __PUNCT__ and sent me back into the fight __PUNCT__

i becam depend on other to a greater extent than i had ever been befor __PUNCT__

and i am a better man for it __PUNCT__

we had met a power that want to obliter our ident __PUNCT__ and the caus to which we ralli wa our respons __PUNCT__ we ar free_men __PUNCT__ bound insepar togeth __PUNCT__ and by the grace of god and not your suffer we will have our freedom restor to us __PUNCT__

i have never felt more powerfulli free __PUNCT__ more my own man __PUNCT__ than when i wa a small_part of an organ resist to the power that imprison us __PUNCT__

that lesson made me a better offic __PUNCT__ too __PUNCT__

when i came to cecil field and eventu assum command of va __NUM__ the largest squadron in the navi __PUNCT__ the state of militari readi in the unit_state wa veri low __PUNCT__

and my squadron readi wa no except __PUNCT__

we had about fifti plane __PUNCT__ and nearli half of them were in such bad shape thei had been ground __PUNCT__

i wa determin to improv the situat __PUNCT__ but i knew my own determin wouldn't be suffici to do so __PUNCT__

i struck a deal with my superior that if thei allow me to move part from on plane to anoth __PUNCT__ befor my tour wa finish we would have everi on of them in the air __PUNCT__

no plan to restor the squadron readi could have succeed without the extraordinari determin and resourc of the pilot __PUNCT__ staff and crew i serv with __PUNCT__

thei number nearli a thousand __PUNCT__ and thei were as highli commit __PUNCT__ hardwork __PUNCT__ innov peopl as ani offic ever had the honor to command __PUNCT__

thei work dilig toward a common_goal __PUNCT__ and took pride in the achiev of a team and didn't view individu accomplish as the primari focu of their energi __PUNCT__

of cours __PUNCT__ the squadron purpos wa to train aviat __PUNCT__ but the men and women of va __NUM__ knew that thei were serv a greater purpos __PUNCT__ to demonstr the resolv of the unit_state navi to overcom the declin in moral and readi that temporarili afflict the militari after the vietnam_war __PUNCT__

on the last dai of my command __PUNCT__ my execut offic and friend __PUNCT__ carl smith __PUNCT__ kept my promis to my superior and took off in the last of the squadron ground plane __PUNCT__

the plane wa bare readi for the test and flew with it land gear down __PUNCT__

but we had achiev our goal __PUNCT__

we had gotten everi airplan off the ground __PUNCT__ set a record for the longest fly hour without an accid __PUNCT__ and receiv the first meritori unit citat ever award va __NUM__ __PUNCT__

the experi wa the most reward assign of my navi career __PUNCT__

there ar mani qualiti to militari_servic that make it such a special profess __PUNCT__

but among the most import is the abil to get thing done no matter how difficult __PUNCT__ confus or unexpect the situat __PUNCT__

there is an old militari maxim that battl plan never surviv the first encount with the enemi __PUNCT__

soldier ar taught to expect the unexpect and accept it __PUNCT__ and revis __PUNCT__ improvis __PUNCT__ and fight their wai through ani advers __PUNCT__

that doesn't mean the soldier doesn't grumbl or complain about unexpect chang in their fortun __PUNCT__ but thei ar train to get thing done no matter the circumst __PUNCT__

that is an ethic that should imbu all public_servic in thi countri __PUNCT__ and it should be the qualiti all american demand from their elect_leader __PUNCT__

we ar the most accomplish nation in histori __PUNCT__ and our system of govern is superior to ani other __PUNCT__

but we have much to do in thi histor pivot era of great chang and challeng __PUNCT__ to ensur __PUNCT__ as everi preced american gener ha __PUNCT__ that the countri we leav our children is even better than the on we inherit __PUNCT__

to keep our nation prosper __PUNCT__ strong and grow we have to rethink __PUNCT__ reform and reinvent __PUNCT__ the wai we educ our children __PUNCT__ train our worker __PUNCT__ deliv health_care servic __PUNCT__ support retire __PUNCT__ fuel our transport network __PUNCT__ stimul research and develop __PUNCT__ and har new technolog __PUNCT__

to defend ourselv we must do everyth better and smarter than we did befor __PUNCT__

we must rethink __PUNCT__ renew and rebuild the structur and mission of our militari __PUNCT__ the capabl of our intellig and law_enforc_agenc __PUNCT__ the purpos of our allianc __PUNCT__ the reach and scope of our diplomaci __PUNCT__ and the capac of all branch of govern to defend us against the peril we now face __PUNCT__

we need to marshal all element of american_power __PUNCT__ our militari __PUNCT__ economi __PUNCT__ invest __PUNCT__ trade and technolog __PUNCT__

we need to strengthen our allianc __PUNCT__ and build support in other nation __PUNCT__ which must __PUNCT__ whether thei believ it or not __PUNCT__ confront the same threat to their wai of life that we do __PUNCT__

we must also prepar __PUNCT__ across all level of govern __PUNCT__ far better than we have done __PUNCT__ to respond quickli and effect to anoth terrorist_attack or natur calam __PUNCT__

i am not an advoc of big_govern __PUNCT__ and the privat_sector ha an import_role to plai in homeland_secur __PUNCT__

but when american confront a catastroph __PUNCT__ either natur or man __PUNCT__ made __PUNCT__ their govern __PUNCT__ across jurisdict __PUNCT__ should be organ and readi to deliv bottl drink_water to dehydr babi and rescu the ag and infirm trap in a hospit with no electr __PUNCT__

we can leav these difficult problem to our unlucki successor __PUNCT__ after thei grown wors __PUNCT__ and harder to fix __PUNCT__

or we can bring all parti to the tabl __PUNCT__ and hammer out principl solut to the challeng of our time __PUNCT__ to strengthen our militari __PUNCT__ intellig __PUNCT__ diplomaci __PUNCT__ and law_enforc and us the power of american_ideal and commerc to win the war against violent extremist __PUNCT__ and help the major of muslim who believ in progress and peac to win the struggl for the soul of islam __PUNCT__ to balanc the feder_budget not with smoke and mirror but by encourag econom_growth and prevent govern from spend your monei on thing it shouldn't __PUNCT__ to hold it account for the monei it doe spend on servic that onli govern can provid in wai that don't fail and embarrass you __PUNCT__ to save social_secur and medicar on our watch without the trick __PUNCT__ band __PUNCT__ aid solut __PUNCT__ li and postur that have fail us for too long while the problem becam harder and harder to solv __PUNCT__ to make our tax_code simpler __PUNCT__ fairer __PUNCT__ flatter __PUNCT__ more pro __PUNCT__ growth and pro __PUNCT__ job __PUNCT__ to reduc our danger depend on foreign sourc of oil with an energi_polici that encourag american_industri and technolog to make our countri safer __PUNCT__ cleaner and more prosper by lead the world in the us __PUNCT__ develop and discoveri of altern sourc of energi __PUNCT__ to open new market to american good and servic __PUNCT__ creat more and better job for the american_worker and overhaul unemploy_insur and our redund and outmod program for assist worker who have lost a job that not come back to find a job that won't go awai __PUNCT__ to help american without health_insur acquir it without bankrupt the countri __PUNCT__ and ruin the qualiti of american health_care that is the envi of the world __PUNCT__ to make our public_school more account to parent and better abl to meet the critic respons thei have to prepar our children for the challeng thei face in the world thei lead __PUNCT__

we ar not a perfect nation __PUNCT__

our histori ha had it moment of shame and profound regret __PUNCT__

but what we have achiev in our brief histori is irrefut proof that a nation conceiv in liberti will prove stronger __PUNCT__ more decent and more endur than ani nation order to exalt the few at the expens of the mani or made from a common race or cultur or to preserv tradit that have no greater attribut than longev __PUNCT__

but as bless as we ar __PUNCT__ no nation complac in it great can long sustain it __PUNCT__

we __PUNCT__ too __PUNCT__ must prove __PUNCT__ as those who came befor us prove __PUNCT__ capabl of the work histori ha assign us __PUNCT__

noth is inevit in america __PUNCT__

noth __PUNCT__

we the world_leader __PUNCT__ and leader don't pine for the past and dread the futur __PUNCT__

we make the futur better than the past __PUNCT__

we don't hide from histori __PUNCT__

we make histori __PUNCT__

that __PUNCT__ my friend __PUNCT__ is the essenc of hope in america __PUNCT__ hope built on courag __PUNCT__ and faith in the valu that have made us great __PUNCT__

i intend to make my stand on those principl and help move thi countri forward __PUNCT__ to our futur great __PUNCT__ and trust in the judgment __PUNCT__ decenc and resolv of the peopl i have serv all my life __PUNCT__

thank you __PUNCT__