September 16 is observed as the National POW/MIA Recognition Day in the United States. To date, there is still a combined total of 82,678 MIA/POW from wars dating back to World War II. According to the Department of Defense, that breakdown is 73,125 from WWII; 7,802 Korean War; 1618 Vietnam War; 126 Cold War and six from Iraq War.
Why does this figure matter? Because that is 82,678 families that even in the year 2016 still has no closure to what happened to their loved one and 82,678 servicemen or woman who never received the proper military burial.
Missions are still being completed in other countries by the American government to excavate and recover the remains of those still missing, but the process is tedious and takes a lot of work to conduct lab analysis of remains.
Just in August of this year alone, the DOD released the names of 22 soldiers from various wars whose remains were identified and accounted for.
Also in August a retired general passed away who worked tirelessly and diligent in his effort to account for Americans who remain missing from the Vietnam War. I don’t recall seeing his death across the headlines of main stream liberal media outlets, so I’ll share a little history with you about him.
General John W. Vessey, Jr., passed away at the age of 94 at his home in Minnesota. Vessey had a 46 year military career and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom along with over 25 other awards and military decorations.
He worked under former President Ronald Reagan and spearheaded missions for the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency.
You might be asking again, why does all this matter? It matters to me and I hope it matters to you. What if it were your family member?
The black and white POW/MIA flag flies on the courthouse lawn in Quitman, Mississippi. It is a grim reminder of the 82,678 still unaccounted for and it is our duty as citizens who enjoy the freedoms of our country to honor these men and women and their families who never got the answers they deserved.
