National POW/MIA Recognition Day honors missing service members

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, observed on the third Friday of September, serves as a day of remembrance for more than 80,000 U.S. service members who have remained unaccounted for since World War II.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, there are 80,754 unaccounted-for individuals, including 71,688 from World War II, 7,356 from the Korean War, 1,565 from the Vietnam War, 126 from the Cold War, and 6 from the Iraq War and other conflicts. An estimated 38,000 of these individuals can be recovered.

In Jacksonville, Florida, the National POW/MIA Memorial & Museum will host a two-day event on September 18 and 19. This includes a 24-hour remembrance vigil at the Chapel of the High-Speed Pass, where volunteers will continuously carry the POW/MIA flag from noon on Friday until noon on Saturday.

Organizations such as The American Legion continue to advocate for the return of living prisoners of war and the repatriation of the remains of the fallen through various awareness efforts, including flying the POW/MIA flag and holding wreath-laying ceremonies.