Not forgotten: JBER honors the missing

  • Published
  • By Air Force 2nd Lt. Michael Trent Harrington
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The Soldier carried a rifle. The Marine carried boots and dog tags. The Sailor carried a Kevlar helmet. The Airman carried a rose.

Together they carried the weapon, the identity, the armor and the memory of an American warrior. These items were not relics, only replicas--placeholders for the day when the missing and the captive will finally be returned to those who have never ceased to cherish them and, if nothing else, the bosom of their country's soil.

Members of all services stood vigil in Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's Hangar 1 early Friday, at a solemn ceremony anchored in ancient ritual and mourning and rooted, for some, in daily anxiety and continued uncertainty. The United States has observed National POW/MIA Recognition Day on the third Friday of September each year since 1979.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Hairell, a 773d Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilation and air conditioning craftsman, recounted the history of the POW/MIA flag standing in black austerity at the end of the stage.

"The flag is an eternal symbol of the men and women who have sacrificed their lives in our nation's defense; a nation that shall always bear true faith in, and maintain allegiance to them, refusing to rest until each is accounted for," Hairell read.

"It is a symbol of a free people who recognize their sacrifice and are enjoined in a sacred oath to never forget them."

Army Maj. Gen. Michael Shields, U.S. Army Alaska commanding general, delivered the keynote address. Shields noted that the only service member still missing in overseas contingency operations is a Soldier from JBER, Sgt. Bowe Robert Bergdahl.

Airmen and Soldiers in formation stood at attention while placing wreaths before the boots and inverted rifle of the fallen warrior memorial, a rudimentary monument that has become sadly familiar in recent years. The immediate simplicity of its grief stood in heightened contrast against the soaring emptiness of the hangar.

Senior Airman Sheena Ross, 673d Air Base Wing, military justice paralegal, read a proclamation from Alaska Governor Sean Parnell declaring the third Friday of every September as POW/MIA Recognition Day in the state.

"The flag's sobering message, 'You are Not Forgotten,' reminds us as Americans to never forget the true cost of freedom...and we ask all Alaskans to pray for the safe return of the prisoners of war and those missing in action, honor those fortunate enough to return home, and remember those we have lost and their families," the governor wrote.

Officials from the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced this week the recovery of the remains of several Airmen and Soldiers in Papua New Guinea, Korea and Vietnam. More than 83,000 Americans remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.

Those gathered for the POW/MIA ceremony helped ensure--amidst the hassles, hustle and heartbreak of daily sacrifices great and small--that the flag still honored its nation's promise, and not a single one of them had been forgotten.