By an Act of Congress, the third Friday in September is set aside to remember America’s prisoners of war, and service members presently listed as missing in action. The Defense Department’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing.

Presently, there are some 83,000 unaccounted military men and women from past conflicts. The search operation involves the coordination with hundreds of countries and even small municipalities around the globe. 

Some 75 percent of those unaccounted lost military personnel are in the Asia-Pacific area and some 41,000 are presumed lost at sea including both ship and aircraft lost at sea. Our nation’s American Legion units pause at every scheduled meeting to pay tribute to these men and women by placing an “honor table” with a special flag next to the American Flag near the speaker’s podium.

Several members of Tryon’s Post 250 survived their imprisonment in some of these POW camps to return home following the end of the conflict. Even after decades, our recovery of some MIAs is being made with each discovery bringing encouragement to continue the search until families are provided with information that will bring closure to them.            

On this special day, we pause to honor both our returning POW’s and those men and women still listed as missing in action.   

– article submitted by John L. Johnson