North Texan recalls working for the late John McCain

Senator John McCain's casket departed Arizona for the final time following a memorial service. It arrived at Joint Base Andrews Thursday evening.

More services will be happening in Maryland and D.C. to honor the late senator and war hero over the next few days. One North Texan who worked with McCain and will be in D.C. for those services.

Joe Ruzicka is a North Texan who knew McCain well. He served as a legislative fellow to McCain in 2011.

“Senator McCain has or had a motor that would not stop,” he said. “It was hard to keep up with him walking through the walls of Congress.”

McCain spoke at Ruzicka's retirement from the Navy just two years ago.

“We have a fairly divisive politics situation right now,” Ruzicka said. “But John McCain would want us to take this as a turning point — not as a sad point.”

As services wrapped up in phoenix, Ruzicka now heads to D.C. to meet up with other fellows to honor McCain. He will honor a man who impacted the country and impacted him personally.

“I think this is an opportunity to say goodbye to a person we won't see in our lifetime again,” Ruzicka said. “And when you have an opportunity to do that, you need to go pay your respects. He lived every day with a purpose. He always had a next meeting to go to.”

Ruzicka last spoke with McCain this past fall. He believed that after coming back from Vietnam, McCain made every day count.