97 AMW in photos: 24hr POW/MIA remembrance run

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cody Dowell
  • Altus Air Force Base Public Affairs

The 97th Air Mobility Wing held a 24-hour POW/MIA remembrance run, Sept. 19 – 20, 2019. During the run, the POW/MIA flag was in constant motion for 24 hours in remembrance of those who are missing or imprisoned.

 

POW/MIA Recognition Day is commemorated on the third Friday of September, a date that is not associated with any particular war. In 1979, Congress and the president passed a resolution making it an official day after the families of more than 2,500 Vietnam War POW/MIAs pushed for full accountability.

 

POW/MIA Recognition Day is an opportunity for the nation to honor the intrepid spirit and admirable bravery of all former American prisoners of war, while also reaffirming the promise never to relent in the quest to locate the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, Merchant Marines, and civilians who remain missing in action.

 

Across the country, local POW/MIA ceremonies are encouraged throughout POW/MIA Recognition Week, culminating with countless events and the national ceremony in Washington, DC. 

 

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, at the present moment, more than 82,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the 82,000 missing, 75% of the losses are located in the Indo-Pacific, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (i.e. ship losses, known aircraft water losses, etc.).

 

For more information about POW/MIA Recognition Day or about history and progression of efforts for those prisoners of war and missing in action, go to The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s website at https://www.dpaa.mil/.

The 97th Air Mobility Wing held a 24-hour POW/MIA remembrance run, Sept. 19 – 20, 2019. During the run, the POW/MIA flag was in constant motion for a 24 hours in remembrance of those who are missing or imprisoned.

 

POW/MIA Recognition Day is commemorated on the third Friday of September, a date that is not associated with any particular war. In 1979, Congress and the president passed a resolution making it an official day after the families of more than 2,500 Vietnam War POW/MIAs pushed for full accountability.

 

POW/MIA Recognition Day is an opportunity for the nation to honor the intrepid spirit and admirable bravery of all former American prisoners of war, while also reaffirming the promise never to relent in the quest to locate the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, Merchant Marines, and civilians who remain missing in action.

 

Across the country, local POW/MIA ceremonies are encouraged throughout POW/MIA Recognition Week, culminating with countless events and the national ceremony in Washington, DC. 

 

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, at the present moment, more than 82,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the 82,000 missing, 75% of the losses are located in the Indo-Pacific, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (i.e. ship losses, known aircraft water losses, etc.).

 

For more information about POW/MIA Recognition Day or about history and progression of efforts for those prisoners of war and missing in action, go to The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s website at https://www.dpaa.mil/.