Naval training, first marriage, and Vietnam War assignment

McCain began his early military career when he was commissioned as an ensign and started two and a half years of training at Pensacola to become a naval aviator.   While there, he earned a reputation as a man who partied.   He completed flight school in 1960 and became a naval pilot of ground-attack aircraft; he was assigned to A-1 Skyraider squadrons   aboard the aircraft carriers USS Intrepid and USS Enterprise  in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas.  McCain began as a sub-par flier  who was at times careless and reckless;  during the early to mid-1960s, two of his flight missions crashed and a third mission collided with power lines, but he received no major injuries.  His aviation skills improved over time,  and he was seen as a good pilot, albeit one who tended to "push the envelope" in his flying.

Lieutenant McCain (front right) with his squadron and T-2 Buckeye trainer, 1965

 

 

At age 28 on July 3, 1965, McCain married Carol Shepp, who was a model from Philadelphia.   McCain adopted her two young children Douglas (Doug) and Andrew (Andy).   He and Carol then had a daughter named Sidney.