On Wednesday night, Senator John McCain's office released a heartbreaking statement announcing his diagnosis with brain cancer. The news brought condolences and support from all corners of the political world, and Reddit showed their appreciation for the storied senator with the internet's favorite thing in the world.
The 1965 photo pictures a 29-year-old McCain as a Navy fighter pilot. It's a close crop of a larger photo of McCain, in front of a jet, posing alongside three members of his squadron. The photo went viral immediately, with over 50,000 upvotes and nearly 3,000 comments in 10 hours.
Despite the internet's usual negativity, comments were supportive, and a good demonstration of the affect the senator has had on Americans.
Here's one anecdote shared by a Redditor:
McCain, sitting in a coach middle seat, happy as can be. Truly, the man is superhuman.
Here's another another supporter, quoting Donald Trump's infamous quote about McCain's war record. It's worth noting that Trump has publicly supported McCain in the wake of this news.
Here's another, which pretty much sums it up:
We can all agree we'd like to have a beer with John McCain—and you wouldn't let him buy.
