I have to fight this all the time when explaining “the USS John McCain”
This bill is named after him because they are, once again, trying to trick people into doing things. Which rarely happens with Trump (Although Donald Trump needs to be more careful of who is in the White House)
But yeah, many things named John McCain are for his dad and granddad. You know, the real heros.
All the things I heard about both the father and grandfather growing up were generally pretty positive, especially the father. By all accounts, he was pretty good at his job and generally respected. I remember hearing the adults talk about him at their parties when I lived in Japan and the Philippines during the mid sixties to early seventies.
I don’t remember anything specific, but I recall the respect for ADM John S. McCain Jr. (CINCPAC at the time) was evident in the tone of voices. (Not some drunk officer talking about what a douchebag he was)
The grandfather I only know about from what I have read in books. He pretty much agreed to be the sacrificial lamb for Halsey...and I respect him for doing it. It was a mix of loyalty to his friend and his service.
I particularly enjoyed reading about the relationship between Halsey and McCain...Halsey was a notorious neat freak, meticulous in personal appearance, and McCain was a total slob, dressed in stained uniforms, unpressed. A slovenly look. And when he smoked, he would just let the ashes drop where they would, which pissed of the neat freak Halsey so much he detailed a seaman to walk around him with a broom and dustpan to keep the deck clean!
My mother never thought much of that kind of thing (a guy giving up his career for the good of the service) but I am certain my dad did. When the subject came up (about some officer being punished in some way and instead of speaking up, the officer would just take it for the “good of the service”) I remember my mother with a highball in her left hand, a cigarette in the other (held with the forearm perpendicular to the ground and the lit end pointing over her right shoulder) flashing a hot look of anger on her dark Italian-Armenian face at the subject.
I asked her about it years later, and she confirmed she hated the concept!
Those were interesting times.