On Friday September 15, 2012 our nation will observe National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Hopefully, communities across America will conduct appropriate ceremonies to honor those Americans who have returned from their ordeals as Prisoners of War (POW’S), and honor the memory of those Americans who are listed as Missing In Action (MIA) and have either died while in captivity or are still unaccounted for. At present, over 83,000 Americans are still missing from past conflicts.
The National POW/MIA Recognition Day was the creation of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. The League was formed by families who were frustrated by the lack of information regarding the status of family members who had either never been repatriated after having thought to have been held captive in Southeast Asia or who had been listed as MIA and were still unaccounted for. In response to the League’s initiative, Congress passed a resolution authorizing the first-ever National POW/MIA Recognition Day to be observed on July 18, 1979. This became an annual event, and commencing in 1986 and continuing until the present, the recognition day was held on the third Friday in September.
Prominently displayed during all recognition ceremonies is the POW/MIA flag. The POW/MIA flag was designed by Newt Heisley, and it features a white disc bearing the silhouette of a young man, a watch tower with a guard on patrol, and a strand of barbed wire. Above the disc in white letters is written POW and MIA. Below the disc is a black and white wreath above the motto, “You Are Not Forgotten”. Next month, we will provide an overview of the wonderful work being performed by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).