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Senator John McCain Mourned, Praised Overseas

U.S. Vietnam-born citizen Mai Tran mourns near a portrait of U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) after she paid respect to him at the U.S. embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2018.
U.S. Vietnam-born citizen Mai Tran mourns near a portrait of U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) after she paid respect to him at the U.S. embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2018.

While condolences and remembrances pour in for the late Senator John McCain in the United States, he is also being remembered overseas, including in the nation where he was a prisoner of war for five years.

McCain, who died Saturday at the age of 81, was shot down flying a bombing mission in Vietnam in 1967, but is known more in that country for what he did in mending ties and normalizing relations with the United States in recent years.

Flowers have been left at a monument near where his plane went down, and a book of condolences at the U.S. embassy in Hanoi allows residents to pay their respects.

Military Attache Ton Tuan from U.S. Embassy places incense while he pays respect in memory of the late U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) at the McCain Memorial in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2018.
Military Attache Ton Tuan from U.S. Embassy places incense while he pays respect in memory of the late U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) at the McCain Memorial in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2018.

Vietnam war veteran Pham Minh Chuc credited McCain with building a lasting peace.

"I admired him, that he understood what was right and what was wrong, to be alongside Vietnamese people to overcome the past and build a better future for the two countries," he said. "With his help, I believe there will not be any war between Vietnam and U.S. from now on."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) shakes hands with U.S. Senator John McCain during a meeting with Ukrainian servicemen in Shirokino settlement near Mariupol, Ukraine, Dec. 31, 2016.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) shakes hands with U.S. Senator John McCain during a meeting with Ukrainian servicemen in Shirokino settlement near Mariupol, Ukraine, Dec. 31, 2016.

In Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko told of an episode in which he and McCain visited Ukrainian marines who were under fire. Poroshenko said McCain was upset when it was suggested he stay back.

"When I proposed to him to visit and congratulate Ukrainian marines in Shirokino, he postponed his trip to Georgia, saying his place is here, in Ukraine," Poroshenko recalled. "Ten kilometers before we arrived to Shirokino, my presidential security service told me that marines were shelled by the enemy. I told him, "You are an American Senator, you do not have to be there. Me, as the President, I have to be with my soldiers. This was the first time when John was upset by me for even for thinking that I could suggest to him to do that."

Sunday, during a state visit to Lithuania, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised McCain as a friend to Israel.

McCain will become the 13th senator to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, and former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush are to speak at his funeral service.

McCain Honored in US, Vietnam

A makeshift memorial builds at the office of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Aug. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
1/12 A makeshift memorial builds at the office of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Aug. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
Flags flying a half-staff in honor of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., frame the U.S. Capital at daybreak in Washington, Aug. 26, 2018.
2/12 Flags flying a half-staff in honor of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., frame the U.S. Capital at daybreak in Washington, Aug. 26, 2018.
The sign marking the office of Sen. John McCain is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Aug. 26, 2018.
3/12 The sign marking the office of Sen. John McCain is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Aug. 26, 2018.
Flags fly at half-staff at the Arizona Capitol in memory of the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Aug. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
4/12 Flags fly at half-staff at the Arizona Capitol in memory of the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Aug. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
Members of the POW-MIA-KIA Honor Guard organization stand in front of a local mortuary keeping the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, Aug. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
5/12 Members of the POW-MIA-KIA Honor Guard organization stand in front of a local mortuary keeping the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, Aug. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
A woman walks from a makeshift memorial after paying her respects at the local offices of the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Aug. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
6/12 A woman walks from a makeshift memorial after paying her respects at the local offices of the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, Aug. 26, 2018, in Phoenix.
Victor Ramos, a Mexican man who has been living California for the past 35 years, lays flowers at the monument of U.S. Senator John McCain in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2018.
7/12 Victor Ramos, a Mexican man who has been living California for the past 35 years, lays flowers at the monument of U.S. Senator John McCain in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2018.
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink writes a note in a book of condolences for the late U.S. Senator John McCain in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2018.
8/12 U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink writes a note in a book of condolences for the late U.S. Senator John McCain in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 27, 2018.
Dozens line Interstate 17 as they wait for the procession with the hearse carrying the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, Aug. 25, 2018, in Anthem, Ariz.
9/12 Dozens line Interstate 17 as they wait for the procession with the hearse carrying the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, Aug. 25, 2018, in Anthem, Ariz.
Joe Gruber, of Anthem, Ariz., holds an American flag at an overpass along Interstate 17 as he and dozens of others wait for the procession with the hearse carrying the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, Aug. 25, 2018, in Anthem, Ariz.
10/12 Joe Gruber, of Anthem, Ariz., holds an American flag at an overpass along Interstate 17 as he and dozens of others wait for the procession with the hearse carrying the late Arizona Sen. John McCain, Aug. 25, 2018, in Anthem, Ariz.
Former Senator John McCain is memorialized before a preseason NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals in Arlington, Texas, Aug. 26, 2018.
11/12 Former Senator John McCain is memorialized before a preseason NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals in Arlington, Texas, Aug. 26, 2018.
A rancher gets off his horse at the entrance to the McCain ranch complex, Aug. 25, 2018, in Cornville, Ariz.
12/12 A rancher gets off his horse at the entrance to the McCain ranch complex, Aug. 25, 2018, in Cornville, Ariz.
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