I wore POW bracelets for both these POW's until they were released. I had the pleasure to give each one their bracelet when I was able to meet them later in life.

Denton smiled and said "Thank You for your belief in our return" and McCain said "The North Vietnamese did not realize how these bracelets kept us in the hearts and minds of our people and made the negotiations for our release possible".

I do not know what Denton did with his bracelet but I gave Sen McCain his in his office in the Old Senate Office building and he took me into the alcove behind his desk where the walls and shelves were covered with Kachina dolls and Photos and his decorations. On the wall was a mahogany "shadow" box with a glass cover, inside were 4 of the POW bracelets in both chrome plating and copper with room for 8 more. He asked me to open the cover and he placed my bracelet- a beat up scrtched copper one with his name barely visible-inside. I closed the cover and he shook my hand and gave me a smile and said asked why mine was so beaten up. I told him that for 4 years I never took it off and it went thru surfing, Shop Class, work in a Machine shop and Shipyard and lots of boyhood life. He said "it looks like I did when I came home."

I have photos of both men and myself holding the bracelets as I returned them. My nephew, now a Lt. in the USNR asked one me one day when he was a teenager - "Who are those old guys in the pictures?"

"Survivors" said I...