Lawrence N. "Larry" Guarino (born April 16, 1922) was U.S. Air Force officer and veteran of three wars. Shot down on his 50th combat mission, he spent more than 8 years as a prisoner of war (POW)

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

 during the Vietnam War and earned the Air Force Cross. As a POW at the Hanoi Hilton

Hanoi Hilton

Hỏa Lò Prison, later sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton", was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during the Vietnam War....

, he shared a cell with John McCain

John McCain

John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

, future senior United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Senator from Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 and Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 nominee for president

Presidential nominee

In United States politics and government, the term presidential nominee has two distinct meanings.The first is the person chosen by the primary voters and caucus-goers of a political party to be the party's nominee for President of the United States...

 in the 2008 United States election. He authored A P.O.W.’s STORY: 2801 Days in Hanoi about his experiences in captivity. Colonel Guarino retired to Satellite Beach

Satellite Beach, Florida

Satellite Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 9,577 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 9,811. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 and Indian Harbour Beach

Indian Harbour Beach, Florida

Indian Harbour Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,152 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 8,441...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

.