Ceremony honors POW/MIAs

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joshua Clifford
  • 354th Comptroller Squadron
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The 354th Fighter Wing held a Prisoner of War and Missing in Action ceremony here, Sept. 18.

The ceremony, attended by distinguished visitors from around Alaska, was a base-wide function to honor all POW/MIAs.

During the ceremony Col. Michael Jordan, 354th Fighter Wing vice commander, discussed three levels of why POW/MIA ceremonies are important.

First to Honor all POWs and MIAs past and present, second as a visible sign of our nation's commitment to remembering and bringing home our POW's and MIA's, and third to send a message to those currently serving in uniform that "You will not be forgotten," the colonel said.

Highlighted during the ceremony was the effort to find and bring home Lt. Cmdr. Scott Speicher who's status changed from killed in action to MIA and later to missing-captured. The investigation continued for 18 years until Aug. 2, 2009, when his remains were found. He was not forgotten.

Currently there are close to 300,000 U.S. personnel listed by the Defense POW/MIA Office as POW or MIA. Guest speaker Mrs. Melissa Stepovich, Director of the Fairbanks office of the Governor, proclaimed in her comments "We will always remember these American heroes."

For more information, visit the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/library/airforcepowmias.asp or the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command at www.jpac.pacom.mil/index.php?rd=1.