Stronger by Cindy McCain

Author:Cindy McCain [McCain, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2021-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

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After that night, things happened fast. Romney bowed out and asked his delegates to back John. President Bush threw his support toward the campaign—and even though Bush was struggling with his own declining popularity at the time, he was still president and it meant something to us and his supporters. I was excited for John but still cautious. Jimmy had just started his first deployment in Iraq, and I worried every day that his dad’s new prominence would make him a target. Jimmy himself stayed levelheaded. At one point long after, when he had finally come home safely, he told us that he had been digging in mud after a rainstorm in Anbar Province when one of his officers sought him out and let him know that his dad had won the New Hampshire primary. Jimmy listened to the news and nodded.

If he wondered what advantages that brought him, he didn’t have to wait long to find out. “Keep digging,” the sergeant said.

“Yes, sir,” Jimmy replied, getting back to work.

John almost never talked publicly about Jimmy and Jack being in the military—he refused to get political gain from their honorable service. I stayed quiet for a different reason. I knew that any hints of where Jimmy was located could add to the danger of his service. The press, however, had no such concerns. During the general election, we heard that several outlets sent reporters to Iraq to try to find him. I don’t know what they wanted to prove—maybe they thought the senator’s son would be sitting in some cushy office far away from the action. It probably didn’t occur to them—or at least I hope it didn’t—that finding Jimmy would put him even further into harm’s way. The Marines did understand, and I will be forever grateful for the casual but clever way they protected him.

From what I later heard, a crew from one network arrived in Anbar Province, having somehow learned that Jimmy was stationed there. There were many FOBs in the area, which is military shorthand for a local base. (“Forward operating base” is the technical name.) When the crew pulled up at FOB Gold, a Marine officer greeted them and said something like, “McCain isn’t here. You might try FOB Emerald.” The crew went thumping off to FOB Emerald, ten miles away, only to be told at the gate, “You might try FOB Silver.” At the next stop, they encountered the same routine. And so on. The Marines ran the reporters all over Anbar Province and never let them know where Jimmy was actually stationed.

Hearing about their strategy made me laugh in gratitude and relief. When a producer from CNN told me about his experience trying to track down Jimmy, I asked a Marine officer if it sounded true. He gave a little nod. “Do you think a Marine would reveal the location of your son?” he asked solemnly. “No way, ma’am. No way.”

My worry about Jimmy was also mingled with the admiration I felt toward him and the many other young men and women serving their country.

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