The Teoc McCains

John Sidney McCain was born in 1884 in Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi, and is one of the well known Teoc McCains. He attended Ole Miss for a few years and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1906. His first assignments were on ships of the Asiatic Squadron. During the American occupation of Veracruz in the Mexican Revolution he served in San Diego, and performed Atlantic escort duty during 1918.

Between the world wars he served on many ships and his first command was the Sirius. In 1936, at the age of 51, he was designated a Naval Aviator, and from 1937 to 1939 he commanded the aircraft carrier Ranger, and where he contributed to the development of carrier tactics that would be used in WW II.

For the first year of World War II he served as Commander of Air Forces for Western Sea Frontier and the South Pacific Force. In October 1942 McCain became Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics and in August 1943 rose to the rank of Vice Admiral as Deputy Chief of Naval Air Operations. In 1944 he returned to the Pacific Theatre as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force which for over a year operated almost continuously in support of the amphibious operations. McCain's exceedingly skillful tactics protecting Canberra and Houston in October 1944 earned him the Navy Cross. Planes under his command took part in action over Peleliu, Leyte Gulf, Philippine Sea, Mindoro, Luzon, Formosa, Ruyukyus and the Japanese homeland. Between July 10 and August 14, 1945, his aviators located and destroyed 3,000 grounded enemy planes. He witnessed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

Vice Admiral McCain died in September 1945, just after returning to the United States, and was posthumously appointed Admiral effective that date. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Secretary James Forrestal commented: ‘He was a fighting man all the way through.’

His son was Admiral John McCain and his grandson is Senator John McCain of Arizona.