CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Team Charleston, according to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, POW/MIA Recognition Day honors the commitments and the sacrifices made by our nation's prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action. Traditionally, it is held on the third Friday in September. This year we paid homage to these great heroes with a 24-hour run, a luncheon in honor of local POWs and a final retreat ceremony.
At banquets and graduations, we often honor our POWs and MIAs with a somber table set just for them. In contrast, our ambitious 24-hour run offered a more active way for us to remember and honor these brave patriots. I was proud to carry the POW/MIA flag as I shared the last leg of the 24-hour run with representatives from each branch of our military.
As we ran down Hill Boulevard, with the POW/MIA flag held high, I thought of how determined and brave the POWs and MIAs were; many of whose remains have yet to be recovered. I thought of the POWs who persevered through captivity and I cherished my own freedom all the more.
POWs were imprisoned in foreign camps, like the Hanoi Hilton in Vietnam, for periods that lasted as long as seven years. With our nation currently engaged in war, every report of a captured American reminds me of the hardships our POW/MIAs and their families were made to endure.
During the POW/MIA Recognition Day, the flag flew proudly over the base in remembrance. The POW/MIA flag was designed by a team commissioned by a U.S. based flag manufacturer -- the "Annin & Company." The design was adopted by the National League of Families. In August of 1990, Congress passed a law that recognized the League's flag and designated it as "...the symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation."
National POW/MIA Recognition Day is one of the six days specified by law stating the black POW/MIA flag shall be flown over federal facilities and military installations. The POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. It will continue to be displayed there until there is an accounting of all U.S. personnel still missing from the Vietnam War.
I extend special kudos to Senior Master Sgt. Keith Geltz, 437th Operations Support Squadron, and his committee for all of the hard work they put in to make this year's POW/MIA Recognition Day one to remember.
Congratulations to our October promotees. Making the transition to the next higher grade is an exciting event that marks a new phase of your Air Force career. Each new stripe presents new opportunities and as you press forward, I challenge you to seize them.
We also released the 3rd quarter Below-the-Zone promotion selectees. After reviewing all of the packages, I was happy with the caliber of Airmen we have here at Charleston. Each of the nominees was deserving of selection; unfortunately we could only choose four. Congratulations to the selectees.
Team Charleston - Take the Fight to the Enemy!