MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Approximately 50 station residents gathered at the 1st Marine Air Wing Vietnam Memorial here Sept. 16 to honor service members who were or currently are prisoners of war or missing in action.
The ceremony was held in observance of National POW/ MIA Recognition Day, which is observed the third Friday of every September throughout the U.S. and its military installations.
“We still have service members missing that have served throughout the history of our country,” said Gary Saiki, event organizer. “We would like to let their families know that we have not forgotten and we still remember they are missing.”
Although the ceremony was held at the 1st Marine Air Wing Vietnam Memorial, it was done to honor POWs and MIAs from all the nation’s conflicts.
A small round table covered in white cloth was set in front of the memorial beneath the torii. The white cloth was symbolic of the POW’s and MIA’s pure intentions in answering their call to duty. The table was round to symbolize the nation’s eternal concern.
It was set with five empty places to represent Americans who were or are POWs and MIA from each of the military services. Five inverted glasses with red ribbons tied into a bow were set atop the table. The inverted glasses symbolized their inability to share a toast with everyone present while the red ribbon was symbolic of the nation’s determination to account for them.
A plate with a lemon slice and a pinch of salt were also placed along with a Bible. The lemon slice reminded everyone present of the bitter fate of service members captured and missing while the salt embodied the tears of the missing and their families who long for answers. The Bible was representative of the strength gained through faith to sustain the lost. A single red rose was placed in the center of the table to remind everyone of the lives of the service members who were or are missing and of their family and friends who keep faith while looking for answers.
During the ceremony, the colors were marched, a prayer was said and flowers were placed at the foot of the table. A moment of silence was observed to further honor the nation’s POWs and MIAs and to bring the ceremony to a close.
Sgt. Maj. Steven L. Brown, station sergeant major, came out in support of the ceremony.
People can become distracted by some of the banalities of everyday life and sometimes they need to be reminded of what’s really important, Brown said.
“They are brothers-in-arms and we owe it to them to never forget,” said Brown. “It’s important we don’t lose sight of that.”
Dave Targett, a retired Marine master gunnery sergeant, read the script during the ceremony. The ceremony held special significance for Targett. He served two tours during the Vietnam War and knew three of the service members whose names are inscribed in the 1st Marine Air Wing Vietnam Memorial.
“(This day) is quite significant for those who served in Vietnam,” said Targett. “I do want to mention all other conflicts too because we are still missing people from Korea, the Second World War — probably never to be found, unfortunately.”
Targett said a lot of people approached him asking what was being done at the memorial and why. He hoped maybe with the ceremony, people will gain a better understanding of National POW/MIA Recognition Day and what it means.
Congress first passed a resolution authorizing National POW/MIA Recognition Day to be observed on July 18, 1979, to honor the Vietnam War’s POWs and MIAs. As years passed, the day is now observed in honor of POWs and MIAs from all the nations’s conflicts. In 1986, it was moved to the third Friday of September.