Veterans Roundtable: Commemorating POW/MIA Recognition Day
On January 7, 1970, Lt. Commander Michael George Hoff was shot down and disappeared while on a mission with Attack Squadron 86 near North Vietnam. A year later, his wife, Mary Helen Hoff, a member of the National League of Families, recognized there needed to be a symbol to remember the missing and prisoners of war in Vietnam.
She contacted Norman Rivkees, vice president of Annin & Company, to make a flag for POW/MIAs. In 1989, the official league flag flew over the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The legislation for this act was passed overwhelmingly by the 100th U.S. Congress. Originally the flag flown over the Capital that day had flown over the White House in 1988 for the commemoration of POW/MIA Recognition Day.
According to U.S. flag protocol the POW/MIA flag is the only flag authorized by federal law to fly on the same flag pole as the American flag. It is always positioned underneath. The flag is designated to fly in certain locations, including the White House and the Capitol Building, on certain days, including Memorial Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and Veterans Day. Federal law and flag protocol also require that the POW/MIA flag be flown over all VA medical centers any time the American flag is flown over these facilities.
A U.S. flag rests on a case containing possible human remains and material evidence in the logistics yard of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Aug. 30, 2023. The remains will be taken to the DPAA laboratory for further scientific analysis and potential identification. (In the Public Domain. Used with permission. https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2003293193/)
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, there are over 81,000 POW/MIAs from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Of those, 1,582 are currently unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. Of the POW/MIAs from Vietnam, 27 North Carolinians have been accounted for while 39 are still missing. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency continues to receive remains of American servicemembers for identification.
On September 4, 2023, 2nd Lt. Fred L. Brewer Jr., a Tuskegee pilot from World War II, was identified and his remains returned. Brewer was on a mission in his P-51C Mustang fighter plane when he disappeared over Regensberg, Germany. After the war, his body was found in an Italian cemetery but remained unidentified. His family hopes to have him returned to Charlotte for burial.
Brewer attended Shaw University in North Carolina, the first historically black university in the South and one of the oldest black educational institutions in the nation. He entered service in November 1943, graduated from the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama in March 1944, and left for overseas service in July 1944. He was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, in the European Theater.
(Screenshot via Spirit of '45, https://www.indianaspiritof45.org/2023-pow-mia-recoveries)
For those who would like to know more about current POW/MIAs and to view the list of names and profiles from each war, please visit the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
American Legion Post #43 hosts Open House
Sophia and Isabella Smith of Kinston, sell lemonade, brownies and bracelets for the event.
Representatives from local veterans organizations, including AMVets, SALUTE, The American Legion, Marine Corps Veterans League, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars had tables to greet the public and share information about their organizations.
Elizabeth Taylor, sold handmade goods and baked goods. (Used with permission, elizabeth.j.taylor@live.com)
Veterans Events Around Lenior
Artist to paint rose on POW/MIA chair
At 11 a.m. on September 15, an artist residing in Montana, Linda Paluko, will fly in to paint a white rose on the POW/MIA chair at the GI Joe Living History Museum in Kinston. This event is open to the public and is part of the museum’s POW/MIA Recognition Day Commemoration.
LCC to host aging veteran event
AMVets Post #1111 to host veterans outreach ride and fundraiser
On October 7, 2023, AMVets will host their veterans outreach and fundraiser at the Boneyard Harley-Davidson in Winterville. The event starts at 9:00 a.m. and will end at 3 p.m. The ride will start in Winterville and cost $20 per rider and $5 for a passenger. There will be free food, beer, and vendors after the ride.
The initiative is designed to connect with younger veterans who may not be comfortable with conventional community outreach events. The ultimate goal is to establish a private gaming community for veterans. More information is available through the Boneyard, who is sponsoring the event. https://www.facebook.com/events/2068335490170301/
Veterans Evaluations Services visits North Carolina
The Veterans Evaluation Services is currently visiting Lenoir County. The service is designed to provide examinations for veterans who have pending claims with Veterans Affairs. This mobile unit will be available in Kinston from September 12 to the 17th. Because Lenoir County and the surrounding areas have a high volume of veterans waiting to receive their P&C OPTHO evaluation to receive monthly pension and compensation benefits, the mobile unit was dispatched to complete those exams.
The mobile unit allows veterans to be seen by specialists on board, and this allows them to complete their compensation claims. This unit is one of four units throughout the U.S. that provides these services. Veterans who need assistance with completing their exams can contact Veterans Affairs to schedule an appointment.
References
https://www.dpaa.mil/Our-Missing/Past-Conflicts/
https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfileHome
https://www.nps.gov/ande/learn/historyculture/history-powmia-flag.htm