John McCain’s daughter Meghan shares his Final Letter to the American People
His daughter
Meghan McCain, revealed this on her Twitter, sharing the letter in full.
The war
veteran and former presidential aspirant passed on Saturday at the age of 81.
Read the
full goodbye letter below.
My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully
served for 60 years, and especially my fellow Arizonans,
Thank you for the privilege of serving you
and for the rewarding life of service in uniform and service in public office
has allowed me to lead. I have tried to serve our country honorably. I have
made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against
them.
I’ve often observed that I’m the luckiest
person on earth. I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life.
I’ve loved my life, all of it. I’ve had experiences, adventures, friendships
enough for 10 satisfying lives, and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have
regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the
best day of anybody else’s.
I owe this satisfaction to the love of my
family. No man ever had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I
am of mine. And I owe it to America. To be connected to America’s causes —
liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people — brings
happiness more sublime than life’s fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense
of worth are not circumscribed but enlarged by serving good causes bigger than
ourselves.
‘Fellow
Americans’ — that association has meant more to me than any other. I lived and
died a proud American. We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic, a
nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to
humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We
have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in
history. We have acquired great wealth and great power in the process.
We weaken
our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have
sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We
weaken it when we hide behind walls rather than tear them down, when we doubt
the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for
change they’ve always been.
We are 325
million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes
even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so
much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember
that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our
country, we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them
stronger than before. We always do.
Ten years
ago, I had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. I
want to end my farewell to you with the heartfelt faith in Americans that I
felt so powerfully that evening.
I feel it powerfully still.
Do not
despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and
greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit.
We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.
Farewell,
fellow Americans. God bless you and God bless America.
Please read my father's farewell letter to the country he loved so much - “Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender.” 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pwZUR7R3dp— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) August 27, 2018
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