National POW/MIA Recognition Day

National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established in 1979 through a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter to honor those who were prisoners of war as well as those who are still missing in action. Since then, each subsequent president has issued an annual proclamation commemorating the third Friday in September as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

There are still 1,586 Americans listed as missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War, more than 1,500 families still seeking answers.

A national-level ceremony is held on every National POW/MIA Recognition Day. Traditionally held at the...