When Corporal Ryan Stickney and 200 of his fellow Marines prepared to return to their families after Operation Desert Storm in 1991, a logistics error forced them to turn to a surprising source for a ride home: Donald J. Trump.

Today, Stickney would like to say "thank you."

Stickney (left), was a squad leader in a TOW company of a Marine reserve unit based in Miami, FL and spent approximately six months in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War between 1990 and 1991.

Upon his unit’s return to the United States, the former Marine says the group spent several weeks decompressing at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina before heading back to Miami.

Stickney recalls being told that a mistake had been made within the logistics unit and that an aircraft wasn’t available to take the Marines home on their scheduled departure date.

This—according to Stickney—is where Donald Trump comes in.

"The way the story was told to us was that Mr. Trump found out about it and sent the airline down to take care of us. And that’s all we knew….I remember asking 'Who is Donald Trump?' I truly didn't know anything about him," the former Marine said.

Corporal Stickney snapped a photo to remember the day by:

U.S. Marines prepare to board Donald Trump's jet.

The Trump campaign has confirmed to Hannity.com that Mr. Trump did indeed send his plane to make two trips from North Carolina to Miami, Florida to transport over 200 Gulf War Marines back home. No further details were provided.

The Marine says he and his family are—to this day—grateful for Trump’s kind gesture. "It may not seem like much to most people, but it was very important to a bunch of jar heads and more importantly their families waiting for them on the hot tarmac."

Stickney says that his father—a Korean War veteran and former Eastern Airlines captain—claimed to have never seen a 727 turn around and refuel so quickly. His father was so appreciative of Mr. Trump's help; he said he would fly for Trump for free to thank him for what he did.

Stickney says that in his 28 years of public service, he has yet to see this kind of support for the troops from any of the other candidates running for president: "I have not seen a Clinton or Sanders plane, or anything else for that matter, sent to support the troops."

http://www.hannity.com/articles/hanpr-election-493995/200-stranded-marines-needed-a-plane-14727522/