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John Sidney McCain III is a Senator from Arizona. Born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936, he attended schools in Alexandria, VA and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and the National War College in 1973. He was a pilot in the United States Navy from 1958-1981, and a prisoner of war in Vietnam from 1967-1973. He received numerous awards, including the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1982, he was elected as a Republican to the 98th Congress and served from 1983 to 1987. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1986. He has served as chair, Committee on Indian Affairs (104th Congress; 109th Congress), Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (105th- 106th Congresses, 107th Congress [January 20, 2001-June 6, 2001], 108th Congress), Committee on Armed Services (114th Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000 and 2008.