Photo By Vaughan Dill | 160916-N-SH284-049 KEYPORT, Wash. (Sept. 16, 2016) The eighth annual Naval Undersea...... read more read more
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KEYPORT, Wash. – The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) sponsored its eighth annual POW/MIA remembrance ceremony, for National POW/MIA Recognition Day at the Naval Undersea Museum, Sept. 15.
The ceremony honored and recognized, rather than memorializing, America’s Prisoners of War as well as service members still missing in action.
During the ceremony, guests observed a ceremonial flag passing through NUWC Sailors one-by-one as Musician 1st Class Mallory Mckendry performed “America the Beautiful” and the “Star Spangled Banner” before raising the Ensign atop a flagpole.
“There are still 73,000 others missing from World War II. It is sobering to add that number to the 1,600 missing in action from Vietnam and the thousands more from other wars in which the United States has fought,” said Capt. Alan Schrader, commanding officer of Naval Base Kitsap. “My hope is that one day in the not too distant future, we will be able to say that those tens of thousands of people, husbands, fathers, cousins, Americans are all home.”
There are 1,741 American personnel listed by the Defense Department's POW/MIA Office as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, with 1,028 personnel being accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
“Researchers travel all over the world to find the remains, then testing is conducted to identify the Sailor, Soldier, Marine or Airman,” Schrader said. “It sounds like a pretty straightforward process but the complexity of this task is extraordinary, especially when taking into consideration the sheer number of service members who are missing.”
Congress originally passed a resolution authorizing National POW/MIA Recognition Day to be observed on July 18, 1979, and for the next few years that date fluctuated until 1986 when the date moved to the third Friday of September.
“We remember those American warfighters who were captured, lost and remain unaccounted for,” said the events emcee, Cmdr. Dustin Demorest. “Too honor them not just by a ceremony, but by seeing that indeed, our nations promise to them is fulfilled.”
The POW/MIA flag, designed by Newt Heisley, features a white disk bearing a black silhouette a man’s bust, a watchtower with a guard on patrol, and a strand of barbed wire. “POW” and “MIA” emblazoned in white letters, with a white five-pointed star in between. Below the disk is a black and white wreath above the motto “You Are Not Forgotten” written in white, capital letters.
“It is difficult for most of us to imagine what it is like to be a prisoner of war,” said Demorest. “Perhaps more of us can relate to what it is like to lose a loved one, but for those who have no answer or closure, the waiting is a difficult process.”
The United States observes National POW/MIA Recognition Day on the third Friday in September, which honors those who were prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action. This day was established by an Act of Congress – the passage of Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act.
For more information on the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, visit: http://www.dpaa.mil/Families/Posters/.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2016 19:10 |
| Story ID: | 209878 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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