On September 19, we pause to remember the sacrifices of
the 83,193 Americans who are still missing or unaccounted for. We remember their
families – those whose pain and suffering does not subside with the passage of
time.
POW/MIA Recognition Day serves to remind us that the true
cost of war extends far beyond the last shots being fired. WWII claimed more than 130,000 Americans taken
as prisoners of war, and at the beginning of this month, continues to list
73,539 Americans as missing in action.
During the Korean War, more than 7,100 were taken
captive, and 7,881 continue to be listed as missing in action. Vietnam brought
nearly 800 American POWS, and today, 1,641 are still missing.
We must also remember the 126 Americans who are still
missing from the Cold War, and the three military pilots and three Department
of Defense contractors who remain missing from Operation
El Dorado Canyon over Libya in 1986, Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The VFW will not rest until we achieve the fullest
possible accounting of all those who have not yet come home. In fact, as part
of our full accounting mission, we remain the only veterans service
organization to return to Southeast Asia every year since 1991, Russia since
2004 and to China for the past several years.
The VFW salutes the families of the missing who
continue to join us in keeping the candle of hope alive. And as veterans and
family members of veterans, we must all do our part to remember their service
and their sacrifice.
Learn how the VFW is working toward the fullest possible
accounting of all military service members from all wars.