Today is a day of recognition for those missing service men and women who never returned home from the battlefield.
Every year on the third Friday of September, the U.S. observes National POW/MIA Recognition Day; a remembrance of its prisoners of war and those missing in action. According to the Department of Defense, the U.S. has held this day of remembrance since 1979, as an effort to remain accountable for some 2,500 prisoners of war and other service members then missing since the Vietnam War. Since then the day has grown to recognize all missing service members.
As of today, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) estimates 81,607 U.S. service members are still missing. Roughly 75 percent of those missing are located in the Indo-Pacific region and some 41,000 of those are derived from known ship and aircraft losses at sea.
Today is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and military installations often display a Missing Man Table to represent those who remain unaccounted for. The table is composed of several unique and specific items. #YouAreNotForgotten #POWMIA #NationalPOWMIARecognitionDay pic.twitter.com/mBcKE15GyD
— DIA (@DefenseIntel) September 20, 2019
The DPAA’s accounting of losses largely reflects its constant efforts to locate and forensically identify missing service members. The agency publishes a record of the service members it has recently accounted for.
In the last few weeks, the remains of several U.S. service members have been returned from North Korea. Last year, North Korea began returning the remains of U.S. service members; many of whom have been lost since 1950, near the start of the Korean War.
POW/MIA Recognition Day is one of six days throughout the year Congress has mandated the flying of the National League of Families’ POW/MIA flag, according to the DPAA.
Today the POW/MIA flag can be seen flying on military installations, ships at sea, state capitols, schools and veterans’ facilities.
Along with the flying of the flag, various other remembrances have also been adopted, such as U.S. pilots flying in the “missing man” formation.
Taps and Missing Man Formation (C-SPAN) https://t.co/CQnrEcZgxZ via @YouTube
— Georges (@Georges43172743) September 17, 2019
Many military installations have also adopted a “missing man” table as a symbol for prisoners of war and those missing in action.
The display begins with an empty chair, for the missing service member, placed at a round table to symbolize the everlasting concern for their fate.
The table is set with a white cloth, to symbolize the pure motive of serving one’s country. The table is adorned with several other symbols, such as a single red rose to symbolize the blood spilled in furtherance of that motive, a slice of lemon to as a symbol of the bitter fate of those captured and missing, and a pinch of salt symbolizes the tears shed on their behalf. There is also and an inverted glass symbolizes the inability to share in a toast.
The symbols set on the table also include a single lit candle to represent continued hope and a yellow ribbon that stands for continued determination to find those still missing or captured.The table sets can be seen throughout the country, with members of various services, and even student members of the NJROTC standing watch over the displays.
POW/MIA Recognition Day – FB NJROTC Cadets will be “standing watch” on the table all day in rememberance of those who have served but did not return. pic.twitter.com/exoARG76Uv
— Raymond Garza (@GarzaFBHS) September 20, 2019
Across the country, various states, cities and local organizations also issued proclamations joining in the remembrance.
Moving POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony at @EssexSherrif Dept. to honor and remember U.S. prisoners of war and missing in action. TY @EssexSheriff Coppinger & Sec. @Urena for speaking about the need to keep alive the stories of those who serve our nation. #POWMIA #NorthShoreMA pic.twitter.com/3SkKSRqT78
— Sen. Joan B. Lovely (@SenJoanLovely) September 20, 2019
According to HistoryNet, the POW/MIA flag was commissioned in 1971 by Mary Hoff, the wife of missing Navy Pilot Lt. Cmdr. Michael Hoff. Mary became a member of National League of POW/MIA Families after her husband went missing in action on January 7, 1970.
She reportedly commissioned Annin Flagmakers of Verona, N.J., one of the country’s oldest flag makers, to make the flag. The project was reportedly given to one of the company’s employees, a World War II veteran named Newton F. Heisley.
The flag started out as a symbol to the National League of POW/MIA Families, but eventually gained recognition on a wider scale, after being flown over the White House in 1982.
