Recognition Day Sept. 20 as National POW/MIA

[thedrifter]

"Since our country's birth, Americans have

responded to military threats against liberty and

democracy, whether at home or in remote areas of

the world. The young men and women of our Armed

Forces understand the need to resist oppression,

and they have willingly put themselves in harm's

way around the globe to do so. Those young

Americans who stand in the defense of freedom are

our country's most precious natural resource.

"It is particularly painful when these brave

Americans are made prisoners of war, or are

classified as missing in action. They have earned

our deep appreciation and respect for the great

sacrifices they have made so that all of us can

continue to enjoy the privileges of liberty. In

keeping faith with them, we continue our concerted

efforts to determine the fate of all those who are

unaccounted for and to bring home the remains of

those who have perished.

"The grief for our prisoners of war and those

missing in action is most intense, of course,

among their families and loved ones at home, who

wait -- often for years, and sometimes in vain --

for confirmation of their fate. These families

display their own courage too, by their endurance

in the face of deep anxiety. Their cause is our

cause, and we pledge ourselves to them anew on

this special day.

"On September 20, the flag of the

National League of Families of American prisoners

of war and those missing in action in Southeast

Asia, a black-and-white banner symbolizing all of

America's missing, will be flown over the White

House, the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Departments of

State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, the

Selective Service System Headquarters, the Vietnam

Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans

Memorial, and National Cemeteries across the

country.

Sempers,

Roger