In Arizona Heat, People Crowded the Capitol for John McCain
On Wednesday, thousands of McCain fans braved a scorching, 106 °F blaze—about 41 °C—to pay their last respects to the former senator. The procession, a single file that swelled into a two‑ or three‑person queue, winded through the Capitol rotunda where the honored veteran’s flag‑draped casket rested in state.
Heat‑Proofing the Memorial
- Over a dozen canvas awnings were set up to create pockets of shade.
- The crowd cheered softly as they pressed past the death emblem of a war hero turned politician.
- Governor Doug Ducey cut a short ceremonial prelude for family and dignitaries before the public viewing.
The First Day of a Five‑Day Tribute
McCain, who succumbed to brain cancer on Saturday at age 81, is to be honored for five days. The first, a public viewing at Arizona’s Capitol, is followed by a state‑level lying in state at Washington’s Capitol on Friday, a funeral at the National Cathedral on Saturday, and a burial at the Naval Academy in Annapolis on Sunday.
Legacy and Last Words
- From a 5½‑year POW stint in Vietnam to a famed political career, he never left the figure of a statesman.
- During the last two years, McCain was one of Donald T. Trump’s sharpest critics—a rivalry that has even led his family to request the former president skip the funeral.
Spotlight on those in the Line
Among those waiting was James Fine, a Dallas funeral director who drove over 1,000 miles to Phoenix. “I get up every day, read the news, and then I see what John McCain has to say,” he told Reuters. “They don’t make heroes like him anymore.”
Moment of Respect at the Capitol
Outside the statehouse, National Guard troops, veterans, law‑enforcement officers, and firefighters lined up, standing in uniform and saluting the hearse as it entered. Inside, relatives and politicians—including former Reps. from Arizona—offered tribute during a 30‑minute ceremony.
Ducey summed it up: “He fought like hell for the causes he believed in, with humor and humanity and without compromising the principles he cherished.”
Family Remembrance
- Cindy McCain, his wife, led a procession of 90 mourners, paused to rest her cheek on the casket, then gently patting it.
- Meghan McCain, the TV host, cried openly.
What’s Next
Governor Ducey plans to await the burial before naming an immediate successor to McCain’s Senate seat—expecting a smooth handover in the weeks ahead.
