Secretary of Defense Honors POWs and Missing Soldiers at National Recognition Ceremony

Honoring Prisoners of War

• 🎖️ Former prisoners of war are recognized for their immense courage and fortitude during captivity, with Rear Admiral Robert Shoemaker, who coined the phrase "Hanoi Hilton," being specifically acknowledged.
• 💡 The ceremony emphasizes that the sacrifices and experiences of POWs are difficult for most Americans to fathom but deserve the deepest respect and gratitude.

Remembering Those Missing in Action

• 🎗️ The families of soldiers missing in action (MIA) are honored for their heavy burden and sacrifice, with a special mention of Miss Jeanie Huffman, whose father went missing off the Vietnam coast.
• 🗺️ The National POW/MIA Recognition Day poster, designed by Jeanie Huffman, features ROC cadets pointing the way home, symbolizing the future of the warrior ethos and the hope for return.
• 🤝 Support from ambassadors and defense attachés is crucial for international cooperation in finding and recovering missing warriors from distant nations.

The Mission to Account for the Missing

• 🇺🇸 The Department of Defense is committed to the core element of the warrior ethos: "I will never leave a fallen comrade," striving to bring home every fallen hero.
• 🔍 The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) works tirelessly using historical research, excavations, and forensic science to provide answers to families of the nearly 81,000 unaccounted-for individuals from various wars.
• 🔬 The DPAA's forensic laboratories are highlighted for their dedication, with a recent success in identifying the 100th service member from remains turned over by North Korea in 2018.

Recent Identifications and Ongoing Commitment

• ✈️ The identification of Army First Lieutenant William H. Hop, missing since 1950, and Navy Captain Thomas Shurich, missing from the Vietnam War, are presented as examples of the DPAA's success.
• 🏅 The remains of US Army Captain Willald C. Bianci, a Medal of Honor recipient who survived the Bataan Death March and multiple POW camps, are being identified 80 years later through the DPAA's Inoramaru project.
• 💖 The ceremony reaffirms the commitment to never stop working to bring warriors home and to provide final answers and resting places for heroes who fought for their country.

A Lasting Debt and Future Promise

• 💔 Over 38,000 Americans remain unaccounted for and potentially recoverable, representing a void for their Gold Star families that spans generations.
• 🙏 The speaker expresses a hope that future generations will uphold the same level of commitment to bringing home those lost in future conflicts, ensuring an immeasurable debt is honored.