JagBytes

Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: College News

POW/MIA flag

The audience was silent. Only the chime of the USS Indianapolis Bell could be heard as it rang five times for each of the five branches of service. Tears were shed. Brutal memories were relived.

A National POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony took place Sept. 21 at the Indiana War Memorial, which stands in honor of America's prisoners of war and missing in action military personnel.

The Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office lists 74,384 service personnel not recovered following WWII; 8,178 personnel not recovered from the Korean War; 165 not recovered from the Cold War; and 1,735 not recovered from the Vietnam War.

POW survivors, left behind family members, friends, and patriotic Americans all gathered in the heat of the day to remember their lost-but-not-forgotten comrades.

A pavilion filled with memorabilia, flowers, pictures, and posters was set up across the street from the memorial. A group of six men equipped with a banjo, a harmonica, and loyalty to their fellow servicemen and women stood in front of the pavilion singing patriotic tunes.

Stuart Hart, dressed as a minuteman from the Revolutionary war, greeted people as they entered the tent. He explained that he was a fifth great-grandson to a minuteman from North Carolina.

"My hope is to remind the American public how it [America] was formed and what has kept it free and safe today," said Hart.

A large white poster displayed stories of life as a POW. Life was harsh. Living conditions were poor. Death was often slow and painful.

"After capture by North Korea we were not murdered right away," wrote Jerome Baker, infantry. "Instead, we were given food of sorghum cane ground into powder and mixed with contaminated water - a slow death. Many of us got diarrhea. … We slept on lice infested floors. … I still carry scars from the bites."

In the worst of conditions, the smallest acts of kindness offered comfort in a time when death and starvation were commonplace.

Cpl. Stanley Nelson, Army, wrote, "I was shot up, missing my left foot and left for dead. I heard footsteps coming; I looked up to see a Chinese Corpsman.

"I expected little when I told him I was cold and thirsty. He poured me a cup of water, bandaged my foot and head, lit me a cigarette, covered me with a straw mat and left.

"The next day our forces moved forward and I was plucked alive from a mountain littered with my dead comrades."

Sgt. Byron Bartosh, Taps player, 38th Division Army National Guard Band who was at the event, said, "It is really important for us to take time out to remember those prisoners of war who are still missing and honor those who have survived." He says he hopes to see a greater audience turn out in years to come.

POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremonies are now held throughout the nation to recognize and honor those who have survived and those who were never recovered.

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