Patriots and Friends,
I invite you to join me today in observing the 36th National Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Recognition Day in America. Today we honor two special groups of America's heroes - those military men and women who were imprisoned by the enemies of our nation, usually under despicable conditions, and who suffered unspeakable torture at the hands of their captors. Yet, through courage, resilience, and determination, they survived to return home to a grateful nation. Today they represent us in Congress, we work alongside them, and they are in our own families. I am particularly proud that many of these Patriots are loyal Members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
We also pay tribute today to the more than 83 thousand soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen whose fate remains unknown. They are the service members who have never been reunited with their mothers, their fathers, their wives, or their families. For the families and friends of those who remain missing from as long ago as World War II, their silent, yet hopeful, vigil still continues as they await news of their missing loved ones. We, in the Military Order of the Purple Heart, echo an entire nation's unending support and our undying promise that, no matter how long it takes, no matter what it takes, we will not stop until we have brought every American home. Our pledge is that we will leave no one behind.
At the end of the Vietnam War, there reportedly were 2,583 Americans who could not be accounted for - they were the prisoners, missing or killed in action whose bodies were not recovered. As of June 15, 2015, 956 of those missing Americans had been accounted for, but the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency still lists another 1,627 Americans as missing and unaccounted for - most of them in Vietnam or in areas of Cambodia and Laos where Vietnamese operated during the war.
This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the end of WWII, yet some 73,539 American service members remain on the unaccounted rolls. Two years ago, we marked the 60th anniversary of the Korean Armistice, and yet some 7,882 remain unaccounted for from that conflict. Today, I want to reissue the challenge of my predecessors to our Government - before the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War in 2025 -- give us a full accounting of all the 1,627 missing servicemen and women from Vietnam, as well as those MIA's from prior wars.
May God Bless our fallen heroes -- those who were captives at the hands of our enemies, those who remain missing in action -- and especially those who have lost their loved ones and await their return. Let us continue to set the Missing Man Table to honor and remember them until they all come home. May God also bless all those who have served their country in the past and those who continue to serve at home and abroad to defend the values and freedoms that all Americans enjoy.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Bob Puskar
National Commander MOPH
