PHILADELPHIA -- U.S. Sen. John McCain is this year's recipient of the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal.

The six-term Republican senator from Arizona is scheduled to receive the award Monday at the Philadelphia museum for his "lifetime of sacrifice and service" to the country.

McCain says he's humbled to join the ranks of past winners and that it's been his greatest privilege to protect and defend the Constitution.

Former Vice President Joe Biden will present McCain with the award.

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McCain joined the Navy in 1958 and rose to the rank of captain during his 22 years of service. In 1967, his plane was shot down over Hanoi, Vietnam, during a bombing mission, and he spent years in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp.