Sunday, September 16, 2012

Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Soldiers


 The POW/MIA Flag is one of the most recognized symbols today. However, it is a fairly young concept. It wasn't until 1971 that the idea was actually thought of. The wife of MIA serviceman Michael Hoft was a member of the National League of Families and, recognizing the need for a symbol for those held prisoner and those missing, she contacted the Vice President of Annin & Company, Norman Rivkees, to make a flag. Newton Heisley, a creative director for advertising in New Jersey and a WWII Pilot, was selected for the job. The design was as it is still seen today: “a silhouette of a man's head with barbed wire and a watchtower in the background, with a flag bearing "You Are Not Forgotten" below the design.” It was approved by the National League of Families, manufactured, and distributed. However, it was not until 1990 when the 101st Congress officially recognized the flag and designated it "the symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for the families and the Nation". In 1998, the 105th Congress passed the Defense Authorization Act that required the POW/MIA Flag fly six days each year: “Armed Forces Day (3rd Saturday in May), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Flag Day (June 14), Independence Day (July 4), National POW/MIA Recognition Day (3rd Friday in September), and Veterans Day (November 11).”


 

















There are many locations around our country that fly the POW/MIA Flag: the White House, the Capitol Building, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the World War II Memorial, all of which are in Washington DC; every national cemetery; buildings containing the offices of the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Veteran Affairs, and the Director of the Selective Service System; every major military installation as designated by the Secretary of Defense, and every United States Postal Service. On every National POW/MIA Recognition Day since 1982, the POW/MIA Flag has flown over the White House. It is the ONLY flag, with the exception of the American Flag of course, to fly over the White House and the Capitol.

As with any flag, there are certain protocols to follow when displaying the POW/MIA Flag. On one flagpole, the POW/MIA Flag is flown below the American Flag but above any state flag. On two flagpoles, the POW/MIA flag is flown on the same pole as the American Flag but below it. And any state flag should fly on the second pole, which should be to the left of the POW/MIA and American Flags. On three flagpoles, the American Flag should be flown on the pole located to the POW/MIA Flag's own right, the POW/MIA Flag flown on the middle pole, and any state flag should be flown on the pole to its left. 





The history of the POW/MIA Bracelet is not one that is much known. It all began with an organization called Voices in Vital America (VIVA), originally formed by several college students, an adult advisor, and a returning veteran. At the time of its creation in the 1960s, there were no organizations geared towards helping Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action. The bracelets were inspired by Bob Dornan, the returning veteran and TV personality. He wore a bracelet he had obtained while in Vietnam from hill tribesmen, "which he said always reminded him of the suffering the war had brought to so many". This inspired the students to want to wear their own bracelets as a way to remember those US POWs and MIAs. Because VIVA had no many to create the bracelets, the students had a difficult time finding someone to make them. However, they were eventually able to receive enough donations and find a company willing to make them. The bracelets were originally sold for between $2.50 and $3 and were made from nickel-plate or copper. In September 1970, VIVA attended the “National League of Families annual meeting in Washington, DC” and was amazed at the interest of the wives and parents of those POWs or MIAs in having their man’s name put on bracelets. On 11 November 1970, the program officially kicked off with a news conference at the Universal Sheraton Hotel and public response quickly grew to the point that the group was “receiving over 12,000 requests a day”. The two remaining students working on the project eventually dropped out of college in order to work full time with VIVA. “In all, VIVA distributed nearly five million bracelets and raised enough money to produce untold millions of bumper stickers, buttons, brochures, matchbooks, newspaper ads, etc., to draw attention to the missing men.  In 1976, VIVA closed its doors.  By then the American public was tired of hearing about Vietnam and showed no interest in the POW/MIA issue.” Today, the interest has picked up again and bracelets are still being engraved and distributed. I proudly wear my MIA Bracelet for Captain James Edmund Carlton Jr. We should NEVER forget!



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