Celebrated on the third Friday in September, today we take a pause to remember the men and women in our military service who are or have been Prisoners of War or are Missing In Action.
As I am going through my day, I will reflect on the following numbers, and say a prayer for the soldier and their families.
According to a Congressional Research Service report on POWs:
- 130,201 World War II service members were imprisoned; 14,072 them died
- 7,140 Korean War service members were imprisoned; 2,701 of them died
- 725 Vietnam War service members were imprisoned; 64 of them died
- 37 service members were imprisoned during conflicts since 1991, including both Gulf wars; none are still in captivity
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 83,114 Americans who fought in those wars are still missing, including:
- 73,515 from World War II (an approximate number due to limited or conflicting data)
- 7,841 from the Korean War
- 1,626 from Vietnam
- 126 from the Cold War
- 6 from conflicts since 1991
To all of our military and their families: We love you. We support you. We are grateful for you. And we pray for your journey back home to your loved ones.
If you feel so led, the following events will be taking place around the Coastal Bend this week/weekend:
- POW-MIA Day Ceremony at Sherrill Park, Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10AM
- Patriot Guard Riders of South Texas Ceremony – Rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29. See website for details.
To find out more information about National POW/MIA Recognition Day, including a history of the day, a history of the flag, and how you can support them, on Military.com.
