15 Sep POW/MIA Awareness Day Event – Sept. 19, 2015
Hello All!
I hope you are enjoying the beginnings of the beautiful fall season. As you know, the Memorial not only hosts a multitude of events during the summer, we also stay just as active in the fall months!
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| Jessica Lynch |
This coming Saturday, September 19 beginning at 11 AM, the Memorial will host a special ceremony in honor of our nation’s POW and MIAs. Jessica Lynch, former U.S. Army soldier who served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S. and allied forces, will be the keynote speaker for the event. On March 23, 2003, Private First Class Lynch was serving as a unit supply specialist with the 507th Maintenance Company when her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi forces during the Battle of Nasiriyah. Lynch was seriously injured and captured. Her subsequent recovery by U.S. Special Operations Forces on April 1, 2003, received considerable media coverage and was the first successful rescue of an American prisoner of war since Vietnam and the first ever of a woman. Despite suffering from traumatic memories of such an inconceivable ordeal, Lynch continues to use her experience as strength to help others heal and raise awareness to the public.
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| POW/MIA Flag |
Immediately following the ceremony, Lynch will conduct a book signing and copies of her book, I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story, will be available for purchase.
Admission is free from 10 AM to Noon. Call (540) 586-3329 or visit our website at www.www.dday.org/eventsfor updated information.
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| American Prisoners of War – Vietnam |
POW/ MIA Awareness is an annual event, held on the third Friday of September that honors our prisoners of war and those still missing in action. It is a day in which the government reinforces its commitment to account for those brave service members who sacrificed their lives for their country. It is important to remember to honor these service members and not just memorialize them. To many family members, the hope for their loved ones to return to them is still a glimmer of hope.
Here are the current POW/MIA statistics for many U.S. conflicts throughout our history:
Revolutionary War POW – 18,152 MIA – 1,426
War of 1812 POW – 20,000 MIA – 695
Mexican War POW – 46 MIA – 238
Civil War – Union POW/MIA – 194,743
Confederacy POW/MIA – 214,865
Spanish-American War POW – 8 MIA – 72
World War I POW/MIA – 7,470
World War II POW – 124,079 MIA – 30,314
Cold War Era POW – Classified MIA – 343
Korean War POW – 7,140 MIA – 8,025
Vietnam War POW – 766 MIA – 1,719
Persian Gulf War POW – 29 MIA – 21
Somalia POW – 6 MIA – 2
I hope you all will join us this coming Saturday to honor our nation’s POW and MIAs.
Take Care,
Elizabeth
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