National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on Sept. 19 this year, honoring service members who were prisoners of war (POWs) and those who are still missing in action (MIA). Its eternal message? That POWs and MIAs will not be forgotten.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day became an official observance under President Jimmy Carter in 1979, with the families of more than 2,500 Vietnam POW/MIAs pushing for full accountability. While associated with those who served in Vietnam, the day isn’t limited to their recognition.
More than 130,000 U.S. service members were held as POWs in World War II, and 14,072 of them died. Some 7,000 were imprisoned in the Korean War, and 2,701 of them died. And 725 service members were imprisoned in Vietnam; 64 died.
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, more than 83,000 Americans remain missing in action, including more than 73,000 from World War II and more than 7,000 from the Korean War. The number of MIAs in Vietnam is now 1,571.
The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world that prioritizes recovery and identification of its service members. Efforts are ongoing to identify MIAs — and each year, more men and women are identified from their remains and interred with military honors.
The most recent to be identified is U.S. Army Master Sgt. Donald P. Gervais, who was killed when his helicopter crashed in Vietnam’s A Shau Valley. U.S. Navy Capt. Thomas E. Scheurich was identified in April, 57 years after his A-6A Intruder was shot down.
The Vietnam Veterans of America’s Veterans Initiative Program helps identify remains, using clues from maps, stories, after-action reports, pictures and personal items. It’s just one of the initiatives funded in part by generous donations to ClothingDonations.org.
You can honor POW/MIAs in multiple ways this week. Fly a POW/MIA flag below or adjacent to your U.S. flag. Take a moment of silence when you see it flown. Wear a POW/MIA bracelet. Attend a local ceremony featuring the POW/MIA Missing Man Table. And support veterans organizations dedicated to recovering the missing.