National League of POW/MIA Families

"More than 40 years after Mike “Flagman” Bowen ran his first mile to honor fallen and missing soldiers, he’s been recognized as Michigan’s Veteran of the Year for his work to keep attention on the ultimate sacrifices of others. Bowen has logged roughly 78,000 miles since starting his journey after meeting a grieving mother at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., in 1982, running every mile since carrying a black POW/MIA flag." THANK YOU MIKE "FLAGMAN" BOWEN!! Link to the full article is below ↓ https://lnkd.in/eKHc8NQ2

The National League of POW/MIA Families is very grateful to Penn State University for continuing to spread the word on POW/MIA accounting efforts. "Penn State is reflecting on another successful Military Appreciation Week. The 13th annual celebration recognized and honored active-duty service members, veterans and the military community through a series of University and community events held Nov. 11-17. This year’s event highlighted those who were prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action (POW/MIA)." To read the full article and to see more photos, click the link below ↓↓↓ https://lnkd.in/eT_vdX8Y

This Giving Tuesday, consider honoring the sacrifices of our nation's heroes by helping fund the National League of POW/MIA Families' efforts to bring home those still missing from the Vietnam War. By donating, you're offering hope, recognition, and the promise that Americans will never forget the service of our heroes and will do our best to recover and account for them. The link is below. Any amount makes a difference and shows your commitment. Our goal is to reach $5,000 by Giving Tuesday (December, 3rd). Thank you. https://lnkd.in/eemyR8MS

The League is grateful to The Today Show for highlighting the POW/MIA accounting mission yesterday morning. To watch the clip, click the link below ↓ https://lnkd.in/ebvzWwBX

The remains of World War II veteran U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Ralph L. Mourer, 23, of Wichita, Kansas, known to have been KIA/BNR, have been disinterred from a US cemetery in the Philippines, identified, and will soon be returned to his family. Sgt. Mourer was serving as the radio operator in the 732nd Bombardment Squadron of the 8th Air Force in the European Theater when, the B-24H "Liberator" on which he served was shot down. All ten servicemen on board "Little Joe," as the aircraft was known, were listed as Killed-in-Action after being shot down by enemy fighter aircraft, and crewmembers in other planes in formation saw no parachutes before the plane crashed en route to Brunswick, Germany. To see a couple photos of Sgt. Maurer and read the official DPAA news release, click through the images below. Welcome home, Sgt. Mourer. NOTE - Impacted family members were informed that their loved ones died in the crash, with no one bailing out, so at least each family didn't have to deal with years of uncertainty.

The remains of US Army Air Force Sgt. James W. Swartz, 21, of Webberville, Michigan, known to have been KIA/BNR, have been identified and returned to his family. Since his death at the Cabanatuan POW Camp #1, following capture in the fall of Bataan and Corregidor in 1942, Sgt. Swartz's remains were interred as an unknown in the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. In April 2019, his remains were exhumed for identification as part of DPAA's ongoing efforts to identify these American heroes and return them to their families and honor the sacrifices of these service members. Welcome home, Sgt. Swartz.

On this Veterans Day, as we pause to honor and remember those who have served, we invite you to share a photo of your Veteran in the comments. Let's celebrate and recognize the true heroes of this day.

A truly moving news clip put together by the good people at MKRG-TV in Mobile, Alabama that highlights just how important and emotionally significant the POW/MIA bracelet remain, 50+ years later. Click the link below to watch this powerful video of Debbie Shea returning her POW/MIA bracelet to Chris Balcom, son of Col Ralph Carol Balcom (still missing) ↓↓↓ https://lnkd.in/epDjF5KJ

"In Weston, right across from the Machpelah Cemetery, a bridge is being built to connect Main Avenue to North River Avenue, and to one man, this bridge represents someone whose legacy is much greater than himself. Fred Pringle, son of Sgt. Maj. Joe Pringle has initiated the process to name this bridge after his father a POW/MIA veteran who lost his life due to a helicopter malfunction in Vietnam." To watch the local news report about a bridge named after the father of the League's very own treasurer, Fred Pringle, click the link below ↓↓↓ https://lnkd.in/eXGuekig

No matter which team you were rooting for in the World Series, there is one thing we can all agree on - The need to account for our missing POW/MIAs!!! This is why the League would like to the New York Yankees for publicly displaying the POW/MIA flag at Yankee Stadium throughout the World Series.