A gift for McCain

A nice piece in the Enquirer regarding a woman who has had John McCain's POW bracelet.

"I wore that bracelet for a long time and after he came home, I kept it in a box," Karl said.

"I always intended to return it to him but just never got around to it. Now I can."

Karl was one of millions of Americans in the early 1970s who obtained bracelets from a national POW/MIA organization. Each had the name of a prisoner of war or missing serviceman and the date he was captured or went missing.

Many of them have presented the returning POWs - or their surviving family - with the bracelets they wore to honor their sacrifice.

The bracelet Karl wore is etched with his name and rank - Lt. Cmdr. John McCain - and the date of his capture, Oct. 26, 1967.

McCain was a Navy aviator in October 1967 when his plane was shot down over North Vietnam.

McCain was badly injured in the crash and was held prisoner for the next 5½ years, during which time he was frequently tortured and beaten.

He was released in March 1973.

Karl said she remembers watching the television reports when McCain arrived back in the U.S.