Hello All!
I hope you are enjoying the beginnings of the beautiful fall season. As
you know, the Memorial not only hosts a multitude of events during the summer,
we also stay just as active in the fall months!
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| Jessica Lynch |
This coming Saturday, September 19 beginning at 11 AM, the Memorial will
host a special ceremony in honor of our nation's POW and MIAs. Jessica
Lynch, former U.S. Army soldier who served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S.
and allied forces, will be the keynote speaker for the event. On March 23,
2003, Private First Class Lynch was serving as a unit supply specialist with
the 507th Maintenance Company when her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi
forces during the Battle of Nasiriyah. Lynch was seriously injured and
captured. Her subsequent recovery by U.S. Special Operations Forces on April 1,
2003, received considerable media coverage and was the first successful rescue
of an American prisoner of war since Vietnam and the first ever of a woman.
Despite suffering from traumatic memories of such an
inconceivable ordeal, Lynch continues to use her experience as
strength to help others heal and raise awareness to the public.
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| POW/MIA Flag |
Immediately
following the ceremony, Lynch will conduct a book signing and copies of her
book, I Am a Soldier, Too: The
Jessica Lynch Story, will
be available for purchase.
Admission
is free from 10 AM to Noon. Call (540) 586-3329 or visit our website at www.dday.org/events
for updated information.
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| American Prisoners of War - Vietnam |
POW/
MIA Awareness is an annual event, held on the third Friday of September that
honors our prisoners of war and those still missing in action. It is a day in
which the government reinforces its commitment to account for those brave service
members who sacrificed their lives for their country. It is important to
remember to honor these service members and not just memorialize them. To many
family members, the hope for their loved ones to return to them is still a
glimmer of hope.
Here
are the current POW/MIA statistics for many U.S. conflicts throughout our
history:
Revolutionary
War POW – 18,152 MIA
– 1,426
War of
1812 POW – 20,000 MIA
– 695
Mexican
War POW – 46 MIA
– 238
Civil
War – Union POW/MIA – 194,743
Confederacy POW/MIA – 214,865
Spanish-American
War POW – 8 MIA
– 72
World
War I POW/MIA –
7,470
World
War II POW – 124,079 MIA – 30,314
Cold
War Era POW –
Classified MIA – 343
Korean
War POW – 7,140 MIA – 8,025
Vietnam
War POW – 766 MIA
– 1,719
Persian
Gulf War POW – 29 MIA
– 21
Somalia POW – 6 MIA
– 2
I hope you all will join us this coming Saturday to honor our nation's POW and MIAs.
Take Care,
Elizabeth
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