By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (AW) LaTunya Howard, Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs
Observances of National POW/MIA Recognition Day are held across the country on military installations, ships at sea, state capitols, schools and veterans' facilities.
The theme for the 2010 National POW/MIA Recognition Day is "Unit every story ends..."
"We can provide the family of a POW/MIA service member with survivor benefits, we can make service arrangements for them, but we cannot provide them closure until we can provide them with that final piece of information," said Kenneth Terry, Navy Casualty Assistance, POW/MIA department head.
The Navy's POW/MIA Casualty Assistance Division is responsible for policy, control and oversight of ongoing efforts to identify Sailors unaccounted for due to hostile or non-hostile circumstances.
"Information related to the status or case progress of an unaccounted-for-service member is presented to family members through official correspondence monthly and annually for government briefings," said Terry. "Identification briefings are presented to the primary next-of-kin when positive identification has been determined."
The Navy actively monitors nearly 40,000 POW/MIA from War World II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam
National POW/MIA Recognition Day is traditionally observed on the third Friday in September each year. This observance is one of six days throughout the year that Congress has mandated the flying of the National League of Families' POW/MIA flag. The others are Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day.
The flag is to be flown at major military installations, national cemeteries, all post offices, Veterans Affairs medical facilities, the World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the official offices of the secretaries of state, defense and veterans affairs, the director of the selective service system and the White House.
The Navy's POW/MIA Casualty Assistance Division can be reached by phone at 1-800-443-9298, fax 901-874-6654, e-mail MILL_NavyPOW-MIA@navy.mil or by visiting
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