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2h ago

Nation Observes POW/MIA Recognition Day as Trump Issues Proclamation and Pentagon Reaffirms Commitment

The DPAA reports 1,052 identifications since 2019, including 139 in 2025.

Members of the VFW Post 304 Honor Guard stand behind The Missing Man Table as the ceremony takes place. A ceremony is held at the Maryland World War II Memorial to mark National POW/MIA Recognition Day- a day established by Congress to honor the sacrifice and courage of American prisoners of war (POW) and Americans still missing in action (MIA). (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)
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Maria Williams of Wallingford, lays flowers at her husband, Raymond Williams, headstone before the Veterans Day Ceremony at the State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Raymond served in the Army. (Aaron Flaum/ Hartford Courant)
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Overview

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Pentagon observance the department has a "sacred duty" to return "every fallen hero" and pledged to never forget their service and sacrifice.
  • President Donald J. Trump proclaimed Sept. 19, 2025 as National POW/MIA Recognition Day and highlighted the 100th identification from Korean War remains returned by North Korea under a 2018 agreement.
  • The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency records that more than 80,000 U.S. service members remain unaccounted for from World War II through subsequent conflicts.
  • Ceremonies, flag raisings, Missing Man table dedications, and 24-hour remembrance runs took place nationwide, including events at Shaw Air Force Base and Buckley Space Force Base.
  • Local commemorations underscored the personal toll with stories, wreaths and new tributes, from Omaha and Maryland to Montana and a Great Falls monument honoring Maj. Robert V. Willett Jr.