How long was John McCain a prisoner of war in Vietnam?

For my term paper, I am covering the four top GOP candidates for the 2008 Presidential election, and I seem to be missing one small piece of information- for how long was John McCain a prisoner of war in Vietnam?

Public Comments

1. Five years!!! Can you imagine???
2. After all he's done to whore to the mexican communities for votes; not long enough.
3. 5-1/2 years
4. 5 years
5. He came from 3 generations of naval airmen. He was shot down over Hanoi Oct. 26, 1967. He was captured with two broken arms and a right broken leg. His release date was Mar. 15, 1973