As he prepares to launch a “Service to America” biography tour next week, Sen. John McCain launched his first TV ad of the general election Friday, seeking to highlight his patriotism and career of military service.

Titled, “624787,” his military serial number, the 60-second ad will be airing in his neighboring state of New Mexico–a battleground state that Democrats took in 2000 and President Bush reclaimed by a slim margin in 2004.

“Keep that faith. Keep your courage. Stick together. Stay strong. Do not yield. Stand up. We’re Americans. And we’ll never surrender,” McCain says at the top of the spot. A narrator takes over and asks rhetorical questions about McCain’s devotion to protecting the nation and it’s liberties before declaring, “John McCain, the American president Americans have been waiting for.”  The ad includes footage of McCain as a POW in Vietnam being questioned by interrogators.

During McCain’s bio tour next week, he is set to campaign in key cities and places that intend to showcase his service to the country:

–Meridian, MS–naval air station where he served as a flight instructor
–Annapolis, MD–where he attended the Naval Academy
–Pensacola, FL–where he had flight training
–Jacksonville, FL–where he came after his release as a POW from Vietnam
–Prescott, AZ–where his AZ Senate predecessor and 1964 GOP nominee Barry Goldwater launched his general election campaign.

SCRIPT FOR THE MCCAIN AD AFTER JUMP…

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