POW - MIA 

Military Service Country of Name Loss Rank Status Date of Incident Home of Record USMC S. VIETNAM HARRIS, PAUL WINIFORD E2 BB 3/13/1967 CHILLICOTHE, OH USMC S. VIETNAM MOWREY, GLENN WILLIAM E4 BB 3/26/1968 CHILLICOTHE, OH BB - Killied in Action, Body Not Recovered The following is the text of the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) ceremony observed during Legion meetings. It is recited as a remembrance to our fallen heroes and missing comrades.  We at Ross County Post 62 join with the rest of the American Legion and fellow veterans organizations in calling on our government to account for the missing in action and prisoners of war. Those who have served and those currently serving the uniformed services of the United States are ever mindful that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured and may still be enduring the agonies of pain, deprivation and internment. Before we begin our activities this evening, we will pause to recognize our POW’s and MIA’s. We call your attention to this small table, which occupies a place of dignity and honor near the head table. It is set for one, symbolizing the fact that members of our armed forces are missing from our ranks. They are referred to as POW’s and MIA’s. We call them comrades. They are unable to be with their loved ones and families tonight, so we join together to pay our humble tribute to them, and bear witness to their continued absence. This table, set for one, is small, symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner, alone against his or her suppressors. The tablecloth is white, symbolic of the purity of their intentions to respond to their country’s call to arms. The single red rose in the vase, signifies the blood they many have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of our beloved United States of America. This rose also reminds us of the family and friends of our missing comrades who keep the faith, while awaiting their return. The yellow ribbon on the vase represents the yellow ribbons worn on the lapels of the thousands who demand with unyielding determination a proper accounting of our comrades who are not among us tonight. A slice of lemon on the plate reminds us of their bitter fate. The salt sprinkled on the plate reminds us of the countless fallen tears of families as they wait. The glass is inverted - they cannot toast with us this night. The chair is empty - they are not here. The candle is reminiscent of the light of hope which lives in our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to the open arms of a grateful nation. Let us pray to the Supreme Commander that all of our comrades will soon be back within our ranks. Let us remember and never forget their sacrifices. May God forever watch over them and protect them and their families. POW/MIA Links Official POW/MIA Related Sites: Service Casualty Offices (Full contact information) - US Air Force POW/MIA Program: http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/powmia/ - US Army Repatriation and Family Affairs Division (CMAOC): http://www.perscom.army.mil/tagd/cmaoc/rfad.htm - US Marine Corps: (No POW/MIA Web Site, Click here for contact information) - US Navy: http://www.persnet.navy.mil/pers621/621pow.htm - Civilians: (No POW/MIA Web Site, Click here for contact information) Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) The US Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) Joint Task Force - Full Accounting (JTF-FA) Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory (LSEL) US Army Center of Military History:(http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/) - Online Bookshelves - Research Materials - Online Oral History Collections - Korean War Medal of Honor Recipients (All Services) - Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients, A-L (All Services) - Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients, M-Z (All Services) - Memorial Day Remembrance Page US Navy - Naval Historical Center:(http://www.history.navy.mil/) - Wars and Conflicts of the US Navy Quartermaster Museum: (US Army) - US Army Mortuary Affairs History Page Archives: Library of Congress - U.S.-Russia Joint Commission Documents Database - Vietnam-Era Prisoner-of-War/Missing-in-Action Database National Archives and Records Administration - Research Room National Cemeteries and Monuments: Arlington National Cemetery American Battle Monuments Commission Korean War Veterans Memorial Vietnam Veterans Memorial History of the National League of POW/MIA Families'  POW/MIA Flag In 1971, Mrs. Michael Hoff, an MIA wife and member of the National League of Families, recognized the need for a symbol of our POW/MIAs. Prompted by an article in the Jacksonville, Florida Times-Union, Mrs. Hoff contacted Norman Rivkees, Vice President of Annin & Company which had made a banner for the newest member of the United Nations, the People’s Republic of China, as a part of their policy to provide flags to all United Nations members states. Mrs. Hoff found Mr. Rivkees very sympathetic to the POW/MIA issue, and he, along with Annin’s advertising agency, designed a flag to represent our missing men. Following League approval, the flags were manufactured for distribution. On March 9, 1989, an official League flag, which flew over the White House on 1988 National POW/MIA Recognition Day, was installed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda as a result of legislation passed overwhelmingly during the 100th Congress. In a demonstration of bipartisan Congressional support, the leadership of both Houses hosted the installation ceremony. The League’s POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda where it will stand as a powerful symbol of national commitment to America’s POW/MIAs until the fullest possible accounting has been achieved for U.S. personnel still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. On August 10, 1990, the 101st Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, which recognized the League’s POW/MIA flag and designated it "as the symbol of our Nation’s concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation". The importance of the League’s POW/MIA flag lies in its continued visibility, a constant reminder of the plight of America’s POW/MIAs. Other than "Old Glory", the League’s POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever to fly over the White House, having been displayed in this place of honor on National POW/MIA Recognition Day since 1982. With passage of Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act during the first term of the 105th Congress, the League’s POW/MIA flag will fly each year on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day and Veterans Day on the grounds or in the public lobbies of major military installations as designated by the Secretary of the Defense, all Federal national cemeteries, the national Korean War Veterans Memorial, the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the White House, the United States Postal Service post offices and at the official offices of the Secretaries of State, Defense and Veteran’s Affairs, and Director of the Selective Service System.