John is from a third generation navy family and followed in his father's and his grandpa's footsteps by also joining the military. He was a prisoner of the North Vietnamese from 1967 to 1973. After this horrific experience, he came back and worked his way to becoming an Arizona Senator. This makes John a very credible source when he makes his claims about patriotism.
In his speech, he claims, “Patriotism is a love and a duty, a love of country expressed in good citizenship”(McCain 1). When he says this, he is saying that this is his definition of patriotism. I believe he captures the definition of patriotism perfectly.