The youngest son of US Republican Senator John McCain, a strong advocate for sending more US troops to Iraq, will reportedly join the Marine Corps in September and may end up being deployed to the war-torn country. "I'm obviously very proud of my son," Time magazine quotes the senator as saying on its website, "but also understandably a little nervous."
Jimmy McCain, who is currently 18, is due to report to a US Marine Corps base near Camp Pendleton in San Diego in September to undergo three months of basic training and a month of specialized training, according to the report.
After that he will be ready for duty, and, depending on the unit he joins, could find himself in Iraq by next summer, the magazine said.
About 650 US Marines have been killed in Iraq and nearly 6,000 have been wounded there.
McCain, who represents the state of Arizona, has been one of the staunchest supporters of President George W. Bush on the Iraq war, and has repeatedly advocated ramping up the US military presence there, arguing the United States cannot afford to lose in Iraq.
A veteran of the Vietnam War who was held prisoner in Hanoi, McCain is considered a possible candidate for the 2008 presidential election.
