I remember it too. Thought my "freedom" flight from Viet Nam in late Feb. would be diverted to cold Korea. While processing on Okinawa (Camp Hansen) for the rest of the ride home rumors were rampant that we combat veterans would be assigned to new units and shipped immediately to Korea.
Whenever we would play softball at Pine Banks Park on the Malden/Melrose line, someone would point up at the house on the cliff overlooking center field and say "that's where the idiot who didn't destroy the equipment on the Pueblo lived".