NOVI (WWJ) - The POW Committee of Michigan will host a POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony Friday evening in honor and remembrance of Prisoners of War (POWs) and those still missing in action (MIA).
The 43rd annual memorial service is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 at the “Michigan Remembers” POW/MIA Memorial in the Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens at 43300 W. Twelve Mile Road.
According to organizers, the ceremony will feature Keynote Speaker Joe Mishler, President, V.V.A. Chapter 175 and Holly Area Veterans Resource Center.
The event is free to the public, but guests are encouraged to RSVP for the ceremony via email at powmiapineau@outlook.com or Eddypowmia@aol.com. Guests may also call 248-214-6398.
Sue Scott, committee member and National League of POW/MIA Families board member, and Duane O’Parka, president of Rolling Thunder Michigan Chapter #5, are also scheduled to speak at the special event.
The “Michigan Remembers” POW-MIA Memorial was dedicated on Sept. 19, 1986, and has since been a gathering place for National POW-MIA Recognition Day activities in Michigan.
"[It is] visited year-round by POW-MIA family members, veterans and others who come to honor the men represented there as well as all who remain unaccounted for from all of our nation’s wars," officials said.
According to the National League of POW/MIA Families, the "Michigan Remembers" memorial features a bronze tribute honoring 84 Michigan POW-MIAs from the Vietnam War — 35 with remains returned and 49 who remain unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.
Since its 1986 dedication, the memorial site has been several enhancements. An eternal light maintained by the Prisoner of War Committee of Michigan, a stairway made possible by VVA Chapter 154 and a flagpole donated by Ford Motor Company, were added prior to 1990.
Over the last three decades, a three-sided granite Vietnam Memorial, a WW II Memorial, a marker honoring Michigan MIAs from the war in Iraq, a mural, and a handicap accessible stage area have been added.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has officials recognized September 16 as POW/MIA Recognition Day "to remember and honor the returned U.S. Prisoners of War (POWs) and all Americans still captured, unaccounted for, or missing in action (MIA)," her office said on Friday.
“Our commitment to the men and women who served our nation honorably is as strong today as it was when they answered the call to duty,” said Governor Whitmer. “There are tens of thousands of these Americans—including fellow Michiganders—who are still missing. Their families, friends and communities all live with uncertainty regarding their fate, and we must continue to be unrelenting in our pursuit to bring them home. On POW/MIA Recognition Day, I encourage all Michiganders to remember and honor the incredible sacrifices made by these service members on behalf of their state and country.”
Officials estimate 4,400 American military personnel remain missing from World War I; 72,291 from World War ll (2,455 from Michigan); 7,527 from the Korean War (335 from Michigan); 126 from the Cold War (5 from Michigan); 1,582 from the Vietnam War (48 from Michigan); and 5 from Iraq and other wars.
"Many of those missing Americans are fellow Michiganders," Whitmer added.
The POW Committee of Michigan is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization incorporated on July 17, 1973 by POW/MIA family members.
"The objectives of the Committee remain the same today as they were in 1973: the release of all US prisoners of war; the fullest possible accounting for those still missing; and the repatriation of all recoverable remains," the organization stated in a prepared statement.
Information about National POW/MIA Recognition Day is available on the National League of POW/MIA Families website at https://www.pow-miafamilies.org/recognition-day.html.
Information about both unaccounted for and accounted for individuals from past wars may be found at DPAA.
