Joseph P Kennedy, Jr Post 11-11

This TABLE set for one is small - symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner alone against his oppressors. The TABLECLOTH is white - symbolizing the purity of their intentions to respond to their country's call to arms.

The single ROSE displayed in a vase reminds us of the families and loved ones of our comrades-in-arms who keep the faith awaiting their return.

The RED RIBBON tied so prominently on the vase is reminiscent of the red ribbon worn on the lapel and breasts of thousands who bear witness to their unyielding determination to demand a proper accounting of our missing.

A SLICE OF LEMON is on the bread plate to remind us of their bitter fate.

There is SALT upon the bread plate - symbolic of the families' tears as they wait.

The GLASS is inverted - they can not toast with us this night.

The GLASS is inverted - they can not toast with us this night.

The CHAIR - the chair is empty - they are not here.

All of you who served with them and called them comrades, who depended upon their might and aid, and relied upon them, for surely, they have not forsaken you.

September 21, has been designated as POW/MIA Day Recognition Day by the President of the United States.

Until July 18, 1979, no commemoration was held to honor America’s POW/MIA’s, those returned and those still missing and unaccounted for from our nation’s wars. That first year, resolutions were passed in the Congress and the national ceremony was held at the National Cathedral, Washington, DC. The Missing Man formation was flown by the 1st Tactical Squadron, Langley AFB, Virginia. The Veterans Administration published a poster including only the letters POW/MIA and that format was continued until 1982, when a black and white drawing of a POW in harsh captivity was used to convey the urgency of situation and the priority that President Ronald Reagan assigned to achieving the fullest possible accounting for Americans still missing from the Vietnam War.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day legislation was introduced yearly, until 1995 when it was deemed by Congress that legislation designating special commemorative days would no longer be considered by Congress. The President now signs a proclamation each year. In the early years, the date was routinely set in close proximity to the National League of POW/MIA Families annual meetings. In the mid-1980’s, the American Ex- POW’s decided that they wished to see the date established as April 9th, the date during World War II when the largest number of Americans were captured. As a result, legislation urged by the American Ex-POW’s was passed covering two years, July 20, 1984 and April 9, 1985, as the commemoration dates.

The 1984 National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony was held at the White House, hosted by President Ronald Reagan. At the most impressive ceremony, the Reagan Administration balanced the focus to honor all returned POWs and renew national commitment to accounting as fully as possible for those still missing. Perhaps the most impressive Missing Man Formation ever flown was that year, up the Ellipse and over the White House. Unfortunately, the 1985 ceremony was canceled due to inclement weather, a concern that had been expressed when the April 9th date was proposed.

Subsequently, in an effort to accommodate all returned POWs and all Americans still missing and unaccounted for from all wars, the National League of Families proposed the third Friday in September, a date not associated with any particular war and not in conjunction with any organization’s national convention. Most National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremonies have been held at the Pentagon. On September 19, 1986, however, the national ceremony was held on the steps of the US Capitol facing the Mall, again concluding with a flight in Missing Man formation.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremonies are now held throughout the nation and around the world on military installations, ships at sea, state capitols, schools, churches, National Veteran & civic organizations, police and fire departments, etc. The League’s POW/MIA flag is flown and the focus is to ensure that America remembers its responsibility to stand behind those who serve our nation and do everything possible to account for those who do not return.

The design for the MIA/POW flag was never copyrighted. It became a flag that belongs to everyone, a design that hauntingly reminds us of those we dare not ever forget. Behind the black and white silhouette is a face we can't see...the face of a husband, a father, or a son who has paid with their freedom, for our freedom. Beneath the image are the words... You Are Not Forgotten