Lieutenant (LT) James Eggers is a 2025 McCain Global Leader. Eggers is an officer in the United States Coast Guard, and most recently served as the Coast Guard’s governmental affairs liaison to Customs and Border Protection.
When I reflect on my weeklong McCain Global Leaders Leadership Experience, I keep coming back to the legacy of Senator John McCain. His life and career embodied the conviction that leadership is not about power or prestige, but about service, sacrifice, and the courage to stand for America’s fundamental values of democracy and freedom. For Senator McCain, leadership meant putting country above party, and duty above ambition. This is not an abstract ideal to me; it is something I strive to embody daily as an officer in the United States Coast Guard.
Senator McCain’s leadership was rooted in several guiding principles that continue to resonate. He believed in serving a cause greater than oneself, in living an adventurous life dedicated to the public good, and in building a reputation on integrity, rather than expedience. As part of the Leadership Experience we heard from those closest to Senator McCain who reminded us that sometimes the hardest choices come when everyone is watching, when the pressure to conform is greatest. It is in these moments that our character is revealed. Are we able to do what is right when all eyes are on us, or will we allow our ego, or some external force, to pull us away from honoring our fundamental values?
Throughout the week we heard from incredible speakers across the political spectrum, and spanning multiple industries. A consistent current that ran through each meeting was that leadership is not a single heroic act, but a series of daily choices that accumulate into a legacy. Senator McCain’s legacy will stand the test of time because he repeatedly chose to do what was right, even when it came at great personal expense.
Service Never Ends; Leaders Never Quit
One of the most memorable sessions of the week was with Professor Brad Snyder, a former U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer, Paralympic gold medalist, and now Deputy Director at the U.S. Naval Academy’s Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership. Professor Snyder learned of McCain’s devotion to country as a midshipman at the Naval Academy, and served with distinction for seven years before being completely blinded because of a combat related injury suffered in Afghanistan. Although Professor Snyder’s humility might prevent him from drawing the comparison, our cohort immediately identified the parallels in service between Senator McCain and Professor Snyder. Senator McCain was famously a combat pilot and Prisoner of War (POW) during the Vietnam War where injuries expedited the end to his military career. Senator McCain overcame various injuries suffered during his nearly five years of being tortured as a POW and went on to serve in federal government for almost four decades.
Professor Snyder’s EOD career was also cut short during a combat deployment, but he was “lucky” enough that the timing of his injury, and the recovery process, allowed him to represent the United States of America during the Paralympics in 2012. Four years after first earning a spot at the Paralympics, he took home gold in the London Games. Professor Snyder’s Olympic glory continued in Rio de Janeiro where he broke a 30-year-old freestyle record. Like Senator McCain, Professor Snyder’s career has taken numerous, unexpected turns, transitioning from active duty to the Paralympic team back to the Naval Academy. In his current role as the Deputy Director of the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, Professor Snyder continues to serve this nation as he shapes the next generation of Naval officers. His work to develop leaders of character aligns directly with Senator McCain’s legacy.
During our conversation, Professor Snyder laid out dimensions of ethical leadership, shared stories of perseverance and embodied similar stoic ideals that also shaped Senator McCain. Both leaders remind us that resilience and virtue are forged in adversity, not in comfort. I was especially struck when Professor Snyder urged us to use heroes as models during a short thought exercise. For him, Vice Admiral James Stockdale and John McCain provided critical examples of stoic philosophy applied under extreme duress. For me, that connection is deeply personal. Through my role in the Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces, I have seen firsthand how resilience, service and moral clarity are not abstract virtues, but daily requirements to be exercised if we hope to become leaders of character like Senator McCain or Professor Synder.
As Professor Snyder walked us through a crash course on ethical leadership, I reflected on the leadership philosophy I have been developing during the 2025 McCain Global Leaders cohort. My philosophy boils down to attitude, effort and the power of being decent. Those values connect seamlessly with what Professor Snyder described as the “Know-Be-Do cycle,” which integrates intellectual knowledge, personal character and practical application into a holistic approach to leadership development. Attitude is about approaching challenges with humility and resilience. Effort is about doing the work, day after day, even when it’s unseen. Decency is about treating people with dignity, even under stress. Together, these qualities also echo Senator McCain’s lifelong example that leadership is about character.
These qualities were more than words for Senator McCain, and they could be felt during Professor Synder’s session. Both of their careers demonstrate that fulfillment comes not from accolades, but from service to others. As I left the Leadership Experience, I carried with me both the weight of responsibility and the hope of renewal. Senator McCain’s legacy is not a static monument, but a living challenge; to resist cynicism, to embrace bipartisanship and to lead with character. Professor Snyder’s testimony reminded us that such leadership is possible only when we embody these virtues daily, not just when convenient.
Senator McCain’s life teaches us that leadership is not about avoiding mistakes or hardships. It is about how we respond when tested. Professor Snyder’s life teaches us that adversity can become the crucible of virtue, and can open up new doors for your life’s adventure to continue. During my reflection, I’ve come to learn that these lessons are not just for Senators or Olympic champions, but they are for every leader brave enough to pursue a life of service.