On September 18, 2020, Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 of Wisconsin unveiled the POW MIA Honor Chair at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Unfortunately, the closure of the State Capitol did not allow for a formal ceremony. On September 17, 2021, veterans and families will honor POW MIA servicemembers of Wisconsin by gathering in the rotunda on POW MIA Recognition Day at noon.
So, what makes this day so sacred?
The POW MIA Chair
The families of our POW MIA continuously endure the void of the unknown who understand the pain of loss.
Their grief drives the advocacy amongst veteran organizations like the American Legion, which stand at the ready to receive the call at every meeting placing the POW MIA flag over a designated chair.
The chair represents their seat at the table as a position of utmost importance. Their voice remains silent. Their efforts resemble the ultimate sacrifice.
Why We Remember POW MIA Recognition Day
The United States federal government set aside the third Friday in September in honor of those who have not returned home. Senate Joint Resolution 147 was introduced in 1979, which passed by both Congress and President Jimmy Carter declaring September 18, 1980, as the first POW MIA Recognition Day.
More than 2,500 family members of Vietnam POW MIA servicemembers came forward advocating that America do its part by exhausting all avenues to bring their loved ones home. The annual event honors families by lowering the POW MIA flag a half-staff at noon until sunset.
We remember the sacrifice the families make each day and commit to repatriating the remains of their loved ones to bring closure.
Bringing closure to families is the reward for remembering them.
Meet Their Advocates
POW MIA Recognition Day, according to U.S. Army Airborne and Special Forces Museum, shares the ongoing responsibility of honoring the lost.
Their advocacy and contribution from the article, “Three Things to Know About POW MIA Day” speaks truths about the contributions, sacrifices and efforts made by those frozen in time who have not returned home.
The Veterans Administration offers a perspective through their VAntage Point website sharing what we as Americans should do when, “National POW MIA Recognition Day Comes Around.”
Department of Defense and the Defense POW MIA Accounting Agency provide toolkits and posters for organizations to hang in their halls to keep the torch lit for their advocacy.
Publications and press releases consider their last known whereabouts, but what happens when we stop telling their story?
The POW MIA will not be found and their families will not receive closure. Through public affairs open records requests and feature writing, the fire and the advocacy unite under one unified nation committed to remembering them.
Please support the Sacred Warrior Search and Rescue Foundation. We are passionate about telling their story at Outpost 422.
Without your contributions, the fire will fade.
We are their advocates. Please do not forget them each year in September as we launch a new era of American freedom and democracy during the pandemic.
We can work through social media and Google searches to locate documents and pass the word along. Please support our mission to honor them through our blog feature stories.
Together, we can bring them home.