September 18, 2015 marks POW/MIA Recognition Day. While not a national holiday, POW/MIA Recognition Day is a national observance. Observed on the third Friday in September, POW/MIA Recognition Day honors all personnel who were prisoners of war or those mission in action.
According to www.timeanddate.com: "There are 1,741 American personnel listed by the Defense Department's POW/MIA Office as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, as of April 2009. The number of United States personnel accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 is 841. About 90 percent of the 1,741 people still missing were lost in Vietnam or areas of Laos and Cambodia under Vietnam's wartime control, according to the National League of Families website (cited in the United States Army website).
The United States Congress passed a resolution authorizing National POW/MIA Recognition Day to be observed on July 18, 1979. It was observed on the same date in 1980 and was held on July 17 in 1981 and 1982. It was then observed on April 9 in 1983 and July 20 in 1984. The event was observed on July 19 in 1985, and then from 1986 onwards the date moved to the third Friday of September. The United States president each year proclaims National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Many states in the USA also proclaim POW/MIA Recognition Day together with the national effort."The POW/MIA flag should fly below, and not be larger than the United States flag. It is generally flown immediately below or adjacent to the United States flag as second in order of precedence. The days the flag can be flown are:
Please take a moment to honor our POWs and MIAs.
No comments:
Post a Comment