Ceremony at State Capitol to Commemorate National POW/MIA Recognition Day
September 16, 2010
LANSING, MICH. - The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will host a remembrance ceremony on Friday, Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m., in the State Capitol Rotunda to mark National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
POW/MIA Recognition Day is a day when the nation pauses to remember those U.S. military members and civilians who remain missing from past and current wars, while the search continues each day to find those who are not accounted for. In Michigan we remember Army Reserve Soldier, Sgt. Ahmed K. Altaie, of Ann Arbor, who was listed as missing/captured in Iraq on Oct. 23, 2006 and remains so. We are profoundly grateful for the recent identification and return of Fireman 3rd Class, Gerald George Lehman of Houghton, Michigan, who died on the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941.
On this solemn day, the POW/MIA flag flies over the White House, the Michigan Capitol, and veteran's war memorials nationwide as a pledge to account for the missing U.S. service members. Missing Michigan service members include: 360 from the Korean War, 51 from the Vietnam War, four from the Cold War, and one Soldier from Iraq, Sgt. Altaie.
In addition, 4,400 American military personnel remain missing from WWI; 74,000 from WWII; more than 8,000 from the Korean War; more than 1,700 from the Vietnam War; 128 from the Cold War; one from the Persian Gulf War; one from the Iraq War; and one from the war in Afghanistan.
The public is welcome to attend the Lansing remembrance ceremony.
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MEDIA ADVISORY:
Media is invited to attend. For more information about the ceremony contact Capt. Corissa Barton at 517-481-8137.
