John McCain’s Widow Tearfully Honors Her Late Husband John Aboard the Ship Named after Him

The late senator’s widow and sons attended the ceremony marking the 25th year of service of the warship named after him, as well as his father and grandfather, all three distinguished US Navy officers.

It was the perfect setting for a heartfelt homage to Arizona Senator John McCain, who passed away on August 25, aged 81, with his widow Cindy, 65, boarding the US Destroyer for the first time since his death.

Cindy sat in the front row during the change-of-command ceremony on July 2, accompanied by sons Jimmy and Navy Lt. Jack McCain before delivering a speech on which she shared how much having her late husband’s name to the ship’s namesake meant to her and her family.

“For all the wonderful tributes to John that poured in before and after his passing — all of which his family appreciates beyond description — the one that touched us the most, and perhaps meant the most to him, was the Navy’s decision the month before he died to add his name to the ship’s namesake,” she said.

Cindy was presented with the commissioning pennant o behalf of the senator, and she shared that she was going to hang it in her home.

The ship was recently subject of controversy when it surfaced that the USS John McCain was ordered to be hidden from President Trump during his May visit to Japan.

"It was very humbling again to be back on board and to be with so many people who really care a great deal about the ship and the history," Cindy later told The Arizona Republic.

The ship previously was named after the senator’s father and grandfather, all sharing the same name, with the senator’s name added as he was terminally ill with brain cancer.

Cindy unveiled a portrait of her husband to be hung next to those of his ancestors.

“Please know that this portrait that we will shortly unveil of a young naval aviator, the son, and grandson of admirals who became a lifelong servant to the country he loves, hangs in a place where it belongs — a place he always wanted it to be,” Cindy said.

The ship was recently subject of controversy when it surfaced that the USS John McCain was ordered to be hidden from President Trump during his May visit to Japan.

In response, the senator’s daughter Meghan called her father’s political adversary “a child.”

Inspired by Trump’s long feud with the military hero, a group of war veterans is planning on handing out thousands of USS John McCain for free on July 4th during Trump’s Independence Day event in Washington, D.C.

“It’s really a way to honor a family that, through multiple generations, has shown that the country is bigger than any one individual. July 4 has never been about who is president,” Peter Kauffman, vice chairman of VoteVets told Huffington Post.