Hey, Prime members, you can listen to Against the Odds at Free on Amazon Music. Download the app today.

From Wondry, I'm Mike Corey, and this is Against the Odds.

Today, we wrap up our four-part series, John McCain, Prisoner of War.

Most people think of John McCain as a senator and a presidential candidate, but John was also a Navy man who survived six years as a Prisoner of War at a camp called the Hanoi Hilton in Vietnam.

He experienced torture and prolonged periods of isolation. He was the night access to medical care and survived the unthinkable.

Many say his experience as a POW is a big part of what shaped him and contributed to the devoted public servant that he was.

I have two guests here today. First, I have Doug McCain. Doug is John McCain's oldest son. He is both a Navy and commercial airline pilot. Doug, thank you for being here.

My pleasure. And our second guest is Everett Alvarez. Everett is a former US Navy officer who spent 3,113 days in captivity in Vietnam as a Prisoner of War.

One of the longest stretches of any POW. Since then, he has co-written two books about his experience and later spent time as the director of the Peace Corps under President Ronald Reagan. Thank you for being here, Everett.

It's my pleasure.

I am truly honored to have you both on here today. I guess I should start by asking guys, have you two met each other?

Yes, definitely.

Doug was a really young guy when I first met him. How old were you, Doug, when you're dad came home?

I was probably 13.

I've known Commander Alvarez a long time.

I got to know John better after we got home. And I was in Washington. I was in the Reagan administration. John was in Congress at the time.

So we got to get together quite often and got to know his mom and his brother, Andy and his sister.

We're going to start with Everett. And I know you didn't meet John McCain until after you were released. Is that right?

No, no, I met John in the, in the Hentley, Hilton, but not until near the end of the war. I met him when the captors started to let us mingle more.

People started going out in the courtyard and having that access as when I met John.

And of course, for a lot of it, like you just said, you weren't kept together. You're a kept in isolation.

But one of the many things I found super fascinating and moving in this story of surviving against the odds is that you didn't have them to talk to.

...