Florida Squadron 189 dedicating POW/MIA memorial

A new POW/MIA monument, spearheaded by Sons of The American Legion Squadron 189, will be unveiled in a Feb. 26 ceremony at Sebastian, Fla.’s Riverview Park.

Detachment of Florida Eastern Area Vice Commander Peter Puzzo came up with the idea for the POW/MIA monument, which will be placed in the park’s Veterans Memorial Circle. Squadron 189 quickly set out to raise the money to buy the stone, cut it and etch it.

“Through the generosity of our community, we raised the $7,000-plus needed for the project,” Puzzo said.

The black granite monument includes stars made from the brass grommets retrieved from retired flags. Six stars represent the six branches of the armed forces while two other stars represent the missing.

Puzzo said the 1 p.m. ceremony, which is open to the public, will include colors from the organizations in attendance, including the local honor guard, police, fire, VFW, Rolling Thunder, Boy Scouts and more; singing of the national anthem; the POW/MIA chair ceremony; a prayer for the missing; a speech about the monument; and military honors.