CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- 27th Special Operations Wing Airmen remember, connect and pay homage to countless tears shed at funerals with empty caskets, for those who may never come home.
In a recent act of reverence, Air Commandos observed National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day Sep 17 including a 24-hour vigil run, name reading and retreat ceremony.
Ceremonies affirming the commitment to bring home America’s lost are held across the country on military installations, ships at sea, state capitals, schools, churches, civic organizations, police departments, fire departments and a number of other government agencies.
On August 10, 1990, Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, designating the prisoner of war and missing in action flag. Its depiction of a gaunt silhouette, a length of barbed wire and a lofty watchtower is hoisted above the White House on the third Friday of September each year, claiming a position of reverence.
“I am always aware of the commitment of the military and what it means to me,” said Ben Salazar, American Legion Post 25 public relations officer. “During the ceremony I was emotionally moved because the remembrance and honor that is placed upon those who are MIA/POW has to be something that remains in our hearts. That is what led me to come and speak today.”
According to the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, more than 83,000 Americans remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the 1991 Gulf War.
“I am a Vietnam era vet,” Salazar said. “Those who served in Vietnam understand the whole process in terms of POW/MIA service members. I was at an age where socially and consciously, I became aware of what was happening to our families and some of the trauma that I saw my personal friends and family go through in terms of having loved ones becoming POW/MIA.”
The U.S. government continues to dispatch dive-and-salvage teams, forensic experts and investigative forces to deserts and jungles across the globe.
“As a nation and as a community, we need to be continually conscious and active when it comes to taking care of our veterans,” Salazar said. “We need to look out for our active duty personnel and their families. We need to make sure that your needs and your family’s needs are met.”
Even today, America’s sons and daughters pledge to support and defend during one of the nation’s most volatile conflicts to date. They do so of their own volition, with the knowledge that some will pay the ultimate price, and others will fall under the power of the enemy.
This fearless demonstration of faith speaks to the confidence service members have placed in the ability of their government to fulfill the promise to never stop searching, and to bring resolution to past, present and future generations in the land of the free and the home of the brave.