Farmville VFW Post Holds Ceremony Commemorating POW/MIA Day

By Crystal Vandegrift, Staff Writer

To see more photos of this event, go to http://southsidemessengerphotos.shutterfly.com. Photos by Crystal Vandegrift

FARMVILLE – Last Friday morning VFW Post 7059 of Farmville held a ceremony commemorating POW/MIA Day on the grounds of the Prince Edward Courthouse.

POW/MIA Day is set aside to honor the commitment and sacrifices made by this nation’s prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action, as well as their families.

“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,” said Post Commander Fred Hill.

Today there are 83,000 Americans listed as missing and unaccounted for from our nation’s wars dating back to the beginning of WWII.

“I cannot imagine the loss I would feel if my mother or father had gone to war and didn’t return and I cannot imagine my grief if that missing person was my son or my daughter,” added Hill.

This is something that POW/MIA families deal with each day. According to Hill, these families are seeking answers where there simply may be none. “They want to know what happened to their loved one,” he said. “That is not too much for our government to answer or for other governments to help answer.”

According to Hill, there are 600 military and defense department civilians who are now working for a newly organized Defense POW/MIA accounting agency.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is a U.S. Department of Defense agency tasked to account for all Americans missing as a result of the nation’s past conflicts (World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the first Gulf War).

Each year, DPAA teams travel throughout the world to locate and excavate sites where the remains of missing Americans are believed to be located. These locations are usually ground burials or aircraft crash sites. After remains are recovered, the are transported to DPAA’s Central Identification Laboratory (CIL), the largest forensic anthropology laboratory in the world.

There, DPAA staff of forensic anthropologists attempt to identify all recovered remains. Once an American has been identified, their remains are returned to their family with full military honors.

As part of their mission, the DPAA also collects DNA samples of MIA family members in an effort to identify soldiers. “I encourage all MIA families to donate a family DNA sample,” said Hill.

If you know the possible location of a missing American, or would like more information on how to submit a DNA sample, visit the DPAA’s website at http://www.dpaa.mil/