Cannon remembers

by Senior Airman Whitney Tucker
27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs

9/23/2013 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Local veterans and Air Commandos stood at attention as the familiar notes of the national anthem reverberated through a loudspeaker, enveloping the assembly as it has for more than 230 years, and signifying the commencement of a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action retreat ceremony Sept. 20 at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

In a gesture as timeless as Old Glory itself, a flight of uniformed Airmen formed ranks and rendered a salute in the shadow of the POW/MIA flag as the nation's colors were lowered into the white-gloved hands of Cannon's honor guard.

The collection of attendees - a visage of camouflage interspersed with the regalia of conflicts past - bore testament to the transcendence of the occasion and the endurance of a cause too important to forget.

"Today is a day of remembrance and a day of pride," said Lt. Col. Travis Norton, 3rd Special Operations Squadron commander. "Since 1979, we as a nation have taken the third Friday of each September to remember those who went missing during combat and to honor those who served our nation under unbelievable conditions as prisoners of war."

Having endured unspeakable sacrifice and loss fortifying the bedrock on which this great nation was founded, the contributions of America's POW/MIA service members are evidenced in every liberty enjoyed in the land of the free.

"I'd like to challenge each of us to look upon this day as a day of pride: pride in a nation that not only supports and promotes freedom for all people, but a nation with citizens willing to defend that freedom no matter what the cost," Norton said.

Unique among all other nations, the U.S. maintains a constant, inexhaustible effort to bring its lost home, granting closure to fractured families and honoring the promise to leave no man or woman behind even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

"We should take pride in the very notion that we live in a nation that will never forget the service and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform," Norton said. "And we will stop at nothing to find our brothers and sisters lost in service to their country."

Even as the assemblage dispersed and the POW/MIA flag - with its depiction of a gaunt silhouette, a length of barbed wire and a looming watchtower - was furled and tucked away, the search continues in deserts, jungles and oceans across the globe, spanning continents and bridging generations of brethren until the last comrade comes home.