On the recordSeptember 4, 2018
today I rise to honor a dear friend of the Senate and a dear friend to me. This weekend many of us had the honor of joining the family of John Sidney McCain III as we walked through his life and shared memories of such a wonderful man, a true patriot, an American hero, a wonderful Senator, a father, and a wonderful friend. The first time I met Senator McCain was in 2014, and he was larger than life. I was engaged in my primary for the Senate, and I had the opportunity to visit Washington, DC, and sit down with Senator McCain in his office and visited and talked with him about what it was like to be a U.S. Senator. Immediately, I felt that bond with John McCain as a fellow veteran. It was one thing that he was truly interested in. He had been through the political stuff with a lot of other folks running for the Senate-- what it is like to engage in a campaign. That is all good and fine, but what he really took an interest in was my experience in the war in Iraq. He asked me about my service. I talked to him about the National Guard--all of those things he truly understood and connected with. He really enjoyed that aspect of our discussion. It was that first meeting--again, meeting with somebody that to me was larger than life, someone who truly had served his country--and we felt that connection. The months progressed, and I got through the primary campaign and moved on into the general election cycle. During that time, a number of Senators came to Iowa.…





