Biden pays respects to McCain memorial in Vietnam

President Biden on Monday visited a memorial for the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in Vietnam, marking the long friendship between the two.

Biden walked up to the memorial, a stone structure surrounded by greenery, and touched a wreath of red, white, and blue flowers in front of it, bowing his head.

“I miss him. He was a good friend,” Biden said.

The president then dropped what looked like a coin and saluted.

McCain was a prisoner of war in Hanoi during the Vietnam War for five and a half years, from 1967 to 1973. He was captured from Trúc Bạch Lake after being shot down over Hanoi and transported to the prison, nicknamed “Hanoi Hilton.”

“It was important to me,” Biden said Monday about visiting the memorial.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the president’s climate czar, John Kerry, were near the president during his visit. Biden also shook the hand of the U.S. Marine and U.S. Navy officers standing on either side of the memorial.

Biden and McCain, who died in 2018 after battling glioblastoma, served in the Senate together for three decades.