POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY 2015
GREETINGS
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON NATIONAL
POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY. I AM HONORED
TO BE HERE TODAY TO HELP RECOGNIZE AND
SALUTE THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE
SERVED AND SACRIFICED TO KEEP AMERICA
FREE … AND TO SALUTE THE FAMILIES OF THE
MISSING WHO CONTINUE TO KEEP THE CANDLE
OF HOPE ALIVE.
1|Page
TODAY THERE ARE 83,000 AMERICANS
LISTED AS MISSING AND UNACCOUNTED FOR
FROM OUR NATION’S WARS GOING BACK TO
THE BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR II.
THAT’S 83,000 MILITARY AND CIVILIAN MEN
AND WOMEN … MOTHERS AND FATHERS …
BROTHERS AND SISTERS … AND SONS AND
DAUGHTERS.
WORLD WAR II ENDED 70 YEARS AGO. FOR
AMERICA, IT LASTED LESS THAN FOUR YEARS,
BUT IT CLAIMED MORE THAN 400,000 AMERICAN
LIVES, SAW MORE THAN 130,000 AMERICANS
TAKEN AS PRISONERS OF WAR, AND AS OF
2|Page
LAST MONTH, A WAR THAT CONTINUES TO LIST
73,500 AMERICANS AS MISSING IN ACTION.
FIVE YEARS LATER, AMERICA AGAIN
FOUND ITSELF AT WAR — IN KOREA — AND IN
THREE BLOODY YEARS, MORE THAN 35,000
AMERICANS DIED, MORE THAN 7,100 WERE
TAKEN CAPTIVE, AND 7,800 CONTINUE TO BE
LISTED AS MISSING IN ACTION.
THEN CAME VIETNAM, A WAR THAT
RESULTED IN MORE THAN 58,000 AMERICAN
DEATHS, ALMOST 800 POWS, AND MORE THAN
2,500 MISSING AND UNACCOUNTED FOR
AMERICANS … A NUMBER THAT IS NOW
NEARING 1,600.
3|Page
AND TODAY LET US REMEMBER THE 126
AMERICANS WHO ARE STILL MISSING FROM
THE COLD WAR, AND THE 3 MILITARY PILOTS
AND 3 DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTORS
WHO REMAIN MISSING FROM OPERATION EL
DORADO CANYON OVER LIBYA IN 1986,
OPERATION DESERT STORM IN 1991 AND
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.
AS WE PAUSE TO REMEMBER THEIR
SACRIFICES, WE MUST ALSO REMEMBER THE
SACRIFICES THAT THE FAMILIES OF THE
MISSING CONTINUE TO GIVE.
4|Page
I CANNOT IMAGINE THE LOSS I WOULD
FEEL IF MY MOTHER OR FATHER HAD GONE TO
WAR AND DIDN’T RETURN. I CANNOT IMAGINE
RELIVING THE MOMENT THE GOVERNMENT
COULDN’T TELL ME IF MY BROTHER OR SISTER
WAS ALIVE OR DEAD. AND I CANNOT IMAGINE
MY GRIEF IF THAT MISSING PERSON WAS MY
SON OR MY DAUGHTER.
THIS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS
WHAT MIA FAMILIES HAVE TO ENDURE DAY IN
AND DAY OUT. THEY WANT ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS WHERE THERE MAY BE NONE … OR
ARE SLOW IN COMING.
5|Page
THEY ARE NOT ASKING UNREASONABLE
QUESTIONS. ALL THEY WANT TO KNOW IS
WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR LOVED ONE. THAT
IS NOT TOO MUCH FOR THEM TO ASK, AND
THAT IS NOT TOO MUCH FOR OUR
GOVERNMENT TO ANSWER … OR FOR OTHER
GOVERNMENTS TO HELP US ANSWER.
TODAY, OUR NATION REAFFIRMS ITS
COMMITMENT TO ACHIEVE THE FULLEST
POSSIBLE ACCOUNTING OF THOSE WHO DIDN’T
COME HOME. AND AS VETERANS AND FAMILY
MEMBERS OF VETERANS AND SUPPORTERS,
WE MUST DO OUR PART TO REMEMBER THEIR
SERVICE AND THEIR SACRIFICE.
6|Page
SEEK OUT FORMER POWS AND THE
FAMILIES OF THE MISSING IN YOUR
COMMUNITIES. ASK THEM TO SHARE THEIR
STORIES SO THAT OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR
CHILDREN WILL UNDERSTAND THE SERVICE
AND SACRIFICE THAT’S REQUIRED WHEN
AMERICA CALLS UPON ITS MILITARY.
TEACH AMERICA ABOUT WORLD WAR II …
KOREA … VIETNAM … THE COLD WAR …
ABOUT LEBANON, GRENADA, PANAMA, THE
FIRST GULF WAR, SOMALIA, BOSNIA … AND
ABOUT AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ.
TEACH THEM ABOUT THE STORY OF AN
AMERICA THAT ROSE TO GREATNESS ON THE
7|Page
SHOULDERS OF ORDINARY CITIZENS WHO
REFUSED TO SHIRK THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
CITIZENSHIP … SOME OF WHOM PAID THE
HIGHEST PRICE TO HELP PRESERVE PEACE
AND FREEDOM FOR OTHERS TO ENJOY.
ASK FAMILY MEMBERS IF THEY HAVE
DONATED A DNA REFERENCE SAMPLE TO HELP
SPEED THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS OF
RECOVERED REMAINS.
CURRENTLY 89 PERCENT OF KOREAN WAR
MIAS HAVE A FAMILY REFERENCE SAMPLE ON
FILE. IT’S 84 PERCENT FOR COLD WAR LOSSES
AND 81 PERCENT FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA
LOSSES. BUT FOR WORLD WAR II, IT’S A
8|Page
DISMAL 4 PERCENT OF THE 73,500 WHO ARE
STILL MISSING.
I ASK FOR YOUR HELP TO ENCOURAGE ALL
MIA FAMILIES TO DONATE A FAMILY
REFERENCE SAMPLE. EACH MILITARY SERVICE
HAS A SERVICE CASUALTY OFFICE THAT CAN
EXPLAIN HOW.
I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN’T MENTION
THOSE INVOLVED IN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT’S
FULL ACCOUNTING MISSION … THE 600
MILITARY AND DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
CIVILIANS WORKING FOR THE NEWLY
ORGANIZED DEFENSE POW/MIA ACCOUNTING
AGENCY … WHO ARE CONTINUING THE
9|Page
MISSION WITH COMPASSION, INTEGRITY,
TEAMWORK, RESPECT AND INNOVATION.
MORE IMPORTANT IS THEY ARE
CONTINUING THE MISSION KNOWING THAT
THEIR ULTIMATE CUSTOMERS ARE THE
FAMILIES OF THE MISSING.
OUR GOVERNMENT PERFORMS
HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS ALL AROUND THE
WORLD, BUT THE FULL ACCOUNTING MISSION
IS THE ONLY HUMANITARIAN MISSION OUR
GOVERNMENT PERFORMS DAILY JUST TO
BENEFIT FELLOW AMERICANS.
10 | P a g e
TO THOSE WHO SERVED AND FELL, THE
FULL ACCOUNTING MISSION CONTINUES THE
SOLDIERS PLEDGE TO NEVER LEAVE A FALLEN
COMRADE ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
AND TO THOSE WHO SERVE IN UNIFORM
TODAY, IT IS A COMMITMENT THAT OUR
GOVERNMENT WILL BRING YOU HOME.
IN CLOSING, LET US RECOMMIT
OURSELVES TO REMEMBERING THOSE WHO
PUT COUNTRY BEFORE SELF, WHO SUFFERED
GREATLY IN CAPTIVITY, OR WHO DID NOT
RETURN HOME FROM THEIR WARS.
11 | P a g e
LET US REMEMBER THE FAMILIES OF THE
MISSING WHO CONTINUE TO BURN THE CANDLE
OF HOPE, AND LET US CONTINUE TO TELL THE
STORY THAT WITHOUT THE SERVICE AND
SACRIFICE OF THE AMERICAN SERVICEMAN
AND WOMAN, THERE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
MAY GOD BLESS OUR FORMER PRISONERS
OF WAR … OUR MISSING AND THEIR FAMILIES
… OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM AND
THEIR FAMILIES … AND MAY GOD CONTINUE TO
BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
THANK YOU.
-VFW-
12 | P a g e
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
DEFENSE POW/MIA AGENCY
HTTP://WWW.DPAA.MIL/HOME.ASPX
ARMED FORCES DNA LABORATORY
HTTP://WWW.AFMES.MIL/INDEX.CFM?PAGEID=D
ODDR.AFDIL.OVERVIEW
MILITARY SERVICE CASUALTY OFFICES
HTTP://WWW.DPAA.MIL/FAMILIES/CONTACTINFO
RMATION.ASPX
-VFW-
13 | P a g e