National POW and MIA Recognition Day Ceremony Held at Sorosis Park
Vandee Mauser speaks at the podium while Eva Summer cues up Taps, a bugle call that is sounded during flag ceremonies and military funerals conducted by the United States Armed Forces, on her phone.
By Cole Goodwin
The American Legion held a ceremony at the Veteran’s Memorial at Sorosis Park on National POW MIA Recognition Day, Friday, September 16th, 2022 to honor Americans who were prisoners of war and those that went missing in action.
Around twenty people gathered to participate in the event and lay roses in front of the memorial.
Vandee Mauser, first Vice Commander of District 8 of the American Legion, Vice Commander of Post 19 in The Dalles, and air-force veteran led the ceremony.
“This is such an important day for so many people,” said Mauser. “Not as much as it used to be, we’re not in a war right now so that’s part of it. But it would be very very sad if we forget about the people that were prisoners of war or that went missing in action. So, we’re going to try to carry this on as long as we have people that are interested in coming to our ceremony.”
Mauser, who served during the Vietnam War said she counted herself fortunate that she did not have any friends that had become prisoners of war or gone missing in action.
During the Vietnam War nearly 1,253 service members were listed as POW/MA. Another 2,500 service members became prisoners of war during the conflict.
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) over 81,500 American service members remain missing in action from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War and other conflicts.
“I served twenty years in the air force and I retired from it,” said Eva Summers, of the American Legion, and a retired air force veteran said that she did know a local man from Hood River who was once a POW that she was keeping in her thoughts.
“He spent something like five or six years as a POW,” said Summers “Great, great guy.”
American Legion members Vandee Mauser and Eva Summers wanted to remind everyone to take a moment to remember prisoners of war and service members who have gone missing in action. To learn the history of the POW and MIA flag which is used in the observance of the day by click here.
To learn more about the history of the American Legion click here.
