McCain was a POW from October 1967 to March 1973 and eventually was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross Medal, and Prisoner of War (POW) Medal. He returned to Asia as a guest of the South Vietnamese government after he was released. At left, Navy Commander McCain visited an orphanage on Oct. 30, 1974, that cared for youngsters fathered by American fighters in Saigon.