This was not a golden moment in American history.
My dad was the Security Officer at Yokosuka in Japan at the time (The Pueblo's home port while deployed) and my dad knew Cdr. Bucher well and had socialized with him. I was 11 at the time, and when this happened, my dad was absent for several weeks. I never made the connection, because he always had worked unusual hours, but my mom recently told me that during that time, he was living in the Comm shack on the base.
Cdr. Bucher was a decent man who was deserted by his country. He did the best he could with what he had. He was no rising star by any means, but not everyone can have a Carrier or Attack sub. He passed away recently, may he rest in peace.
Say what you want about the USAF but General McKee from Okinawa sent armed fighter jets toward the Pueblo under his direction and in defiance of the Navy and the White House with orders to blow all of the North Koreans out of the water that were near the Pueblo if they got there before the North Koreans got the Pueblo into the Harbor. General McKee, USAF, was not the closest (the Navy had a Carrier within minutes of the Pueblo) but was the only member of a high command with balls. He was later reprimanded for his actions.