09/19/2026
Today we recognize those who never came home.
This is National Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Day.
In order to comprehend the importance of this movement, look at the sheer number of Americans who have been listed as POW/MIAs.
According to a Congressional Research Service report on POWs:
130,201 World War II service members were imprisoned; 14,072 them died.
7,140 Korean War service members were imprisoned; 2,701 of them died.
725 Vietnam War service members were imprisoned; 64 of them died.
37 service members were imprisoned during conflicts since 1991, including both Gulf wars; none is still in captivity
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 83,114 Americans who fought in those wars are still missing, including:
73,515 from World War II
7,841 from the Korean War
1,626 from Vietnam
126 from the Cold War
6 from conflicts since 1991
Efforts to find those men, identify them and bring them home are constant.
---info from military.com
And let us not forget the families of these soldiers.