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HomeLand and MaritimeAboutExecutivePOW/MIA

                          - DLA Land and Maritime
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### **Contact Us**

For more information, please contact the Land and Maritime Protocol Officer, Terri Johnson at Terri.Johnson@dla.mil

# Prisoners of War/Missing in Action

Each year, the third Friday of September is a day set aside to remember the more than 83,000 U.S. service members who remain classified as either prisoners of war or missing in action.

## National POW/MIA Recognition Day

National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established in 1979 through a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter. Since then, each subsequent president has issued an annual proclamation commemorating the third Friday in September as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

A national-level ceremony is held on every National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Traditionally held at the Pentagon, it features members from each branch of military service and participation from high-ranking officials.

In addition to the national-level ceremony, observances of National POW/MIA Recognition Day are held across the country on military installations, ships at sea, state capitols, schools and veterans' facilities.

No matter where they are held, these National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremonies share the common purpose of honoring those who were held captive and returned, as well as those who remain missing.

Since 1999, the POW/MIA Accounting community has created a poster commemorating National POW/MIA Recognition Day. 

The Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency  is an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense whose mission is to recover American military personnel listed as prisoners of war or missing in action from designated past conflicts, from countries around the world.

### The Missing Man Table

Each item on the Missing Man Table represents the emotions and feelings reserved for those who did not come home. The ceremony symbolizes that they are with us, here in spirit. All Americans should never forget the brave men and women who answered our nation’s call to serve and fought for our freedom with honor.
                            - The table is round, to show our everlasting concern for our missing men.
                            - The cloth is white, symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to serve.
                            - The single red rose; displayed in a vase, reminds us of the lives of these Americans and their loved ones and friends who keep the faith while seeking answers.
                            - The red ribbon symbolizes our continued determination to account for our missing.
                            - A slice of lemon reminds us of their bitter fate; captured and missing in a foreign land.
                            - A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears of our missing and their families who long for answers after decades of uncertainty.
                            - The lighted candle reflects our hope for their return, alive or dead.
                            - The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain us and those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.
                            - The glass is inverted, symbolizing their inability to share a toast.
                            - The chair is empty, the seat that remains unclaimed at the table.

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