POW/MIA Ceremony Friday in Newark

The public is invited to a POW/MIA ceremony on September 21, at 7 p.m. Guest speakers will be Fred J. Pirelli, Lt. Col. (USA-Retired); Todd Howard, VFW Commander Post 2883; and Dave Quagliata, American Legion Commander Post 286.

Until July 18, 1979, no commemoration was held to honor America's POW/MIAs, those returned and those still missing and unaccounted for from our nation's wars. That first year, resolutions were passed in the Congress and the national ceremony was held at the National Cathedral, Washington, 'The Missing Man' formation was flown by the 1st Tactical Squadron, Langley AFB, Virginia.

The Veterans Administration published a poster including only the letters 'POW/MIA.' That format was continued until 1982, when a black and white drawing of a POW in harsh captivity was used to convey the urgency of the situation. Before that, President Reagan assigned to achieving the fullest possible accounting for Americans still missing from the Vietnam War.

Subsequently, in an effort to accommodate all returned POWs and all Americans still missing and unaccounted for from all wars, the National League of Families proposed a date in September, usually the third Friday - not associated with any particular war and not in conjunction with any organization's national convention.

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