Remembering our country's POWs and MIAs

National POW/MIA Remembrance Day is celebrated annually on the third Friday in September. This year it will fall on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016.
George F. Johnson American Legion Post 1700 in West Endicott, NY, has what we believe to be the only "ALL Wars POW/MIA Monument" in Upstate NY. We have had a ceremony every year since we had our monument in 2010. This was the idea of two Post 1700 members of the Vietnam War era, Dave Williams and Phil Dillenbeck. Our then-Post Commander Barbara J. Beebe did the legwork along with our NY State Assemblywoman, Donna Lupardo. We have two of our Jr. Sons of the American Legion dress the POW/MIA table with each item as it is addressed by Post Commander Robert F. Wood. The U.E. High School Choir will be singing our national anthem at the beginning of our ceremony and "God Bless America" at the end. We have invited a local vet who was injured in Iraq by an ICD while driving a Bradley Fighting Vehicle; he sustained over 60 percent burns and is now a motivational speaker. The Patriot Guard will line the street with American flags. The Vet Center will have a tent set up. The Submarine Vets also have a monument next to our POW/MIA monument which represents all 27 submarines during WWII and the men still MIA. We also award people, businesses or local governments for flying the POW/MIA flags along with the American flag for patriotism. We also award the POWs we are aware of the Legion Medal of Valor, and we have a WWII POW veteran - Frank George - as a member of Post 1700 who escaped from his POW camp while in Germany; he has received the Legion Medal of Valor. We have also gone to nursing homes to give the reward if they cannot attend the ceremony. We also have awarded the medal to spouses if their husband had passed away.