Throwback Thursday: John McCain's release from Hanoi Hilton

I can remember some released POWs arriving at Hickham AFB, HI in the early 1970s when i was stationed there. but not the number in this arrival.

And today the President of the United States tweets insults about that hero in the picture.

I was a security policeman at the 1st Tac Fighter Wing, MacDill AFB, Tampa, when the prisoners started coming back. Pretty much all of Tampa came out to welcome them home. We set up a rope barrier to keep the crowds back and let the men deplane. I was a two-stripe airman first standing at my position on the inside of the rope. This one little boy pushed forward looking for the plane and slipped under the rope so he could see. I saw him and let it slide, because I knew he just wanted the view. My OIC, a Captain, came walking by and barked at me, "Get that kid behind the rope!" I looked at him and said, "Sorry kid, you gotta go behind the rope." The kid's eyes filled with tears and started to go back and said, "But my dad's on that plane!" He stood right in front of me with my hands on his shoulders. I still get tears thinking about watching him run.