On POW/MIA Recognition Day, HMR Veterans Services honors the heroes who endured captivity and returned home, as well as those who remain unaccounted for.
Former prisoners of war carry experiences few of us can fathom. A former POW may wish to share something about their experience. Or they might not.
Giving POWs time to speak, on their own terms, allows those stories to reach someone who can help carry them forward.
While we may never have the honor of serving a Veteran designated as missing in action, many of the Veterans we care for served beside them and help to keep their memory very much alive. For fellow Veterans, those we are remembering today may be a friend they have thought about for years. And many of the families of those missing in action continue to seek answers, sometimes for the rest of their lives.
We hope you will join us in helping Veterans continue their story, including the memories of both prisoners of war and those who remain missing.
Some of the most important things a Veteran has to tell us may come after we thank them. Staying for that conversation, asking appropriate questions and listening attentively, give us a chance to understand what this day means to someone who actually lived it.
Those conversations ensure that MIAs and POWs are recognized and not forgotten.
