The first hugely notable time John McCain acted heroically was when his Skyhawk jet was shot down by a missile over North Vietnam, he landed with a parachute in a lake, nearly drowned, was rescued and bayoneted, and stuck in a prison. There, for a period, he was beaten up multiple times daily and finally was told as a propaganda move that he could go home, an online account reminds us.

No thanks, he said, unless servicemen captured before him were released first. That did not happen. He spent more than five years in what was then jocularly called the Hanoi Hilton, although a Hilton it clearly was not.

Here’s a man who will sacrifice himself for America and others, and this latest time he did it shortly after brain surgery. The Republican senator from Arizona and former candidate for president has brain cancer. Bed is recommended at this point, but he scooted to Washington, D.C., to cast a vital vote to allow floor debate and action on health care.

Then he gave a great speech. It was about Senate responsibilities at a time when ignoring them is in fashion. While much of it was obvious, it took bravery to say it and wit and wisdom to say it so well.

“The success of the Senate is important to the continued success of America,” he said. “This country — this big, boisterous, intemperate, restless, striving, daring, beautiful, bountiful, brave, good and magnificent country — needs us to help it thrive. That responsibility is more important than any of our personal interests or political affiliations.”

What is needed, he said, is collaborative, compromising work for the sake of incremental progress of the kind that has made this nation freer, more prosperous and powerful than any other. We are, he said, a defender of the liberty and dignity of one and all, we have been an “inspiring beacon” in the world, and much has depended on the Senate as a solid deliberative body.

But right now, he warned, senators are “more partisan, more tribal more of the time than any time I can remember.”

McCain’s earlier vote helped open the door for floor consideration of an Obamacare reshuffle in a Republican bill he did not like, but health care is a mess, he said, and Obamacare needs revision just as some replacement ideas need revision.

Subsequently, he cast a crucial vote in killing another GOP bill that he said fell short on more insurance company competition, lowering costs and improving care. If it had passed, there would have been a conference with the House, including additions and subtractions that could have answered his concerns in another vote.

But maybe he thought a brand new start was necessary. It is worth noting that his original speech got a standing ovation on both sides of the aisle, not just because of what he said, probably, but because of who he is, the specialness of his three decades in the chamber and what he now faces.

Is it possible the speech could help lead to gradual improvements?

Maybe, and thanks for that, Senator McCain.

Jay Ambrose is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service.