Current and former servicemembers, officials, relatives and civilians were gathered Friday to pay homage to those lost and those missing, as Fort Gordon held its annual Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Recognition Ceremony.
“Our hearts ache as we try to consider the suffering of our airmen, Marines, sailors and soldiers killed in captivity,” said Cpt. Cosmet Cheseret, Chaplain of the 442nd Signal Battalion, in the ceremony’s opening invocation. “The fates of others we may never know. There are families and friends behind each name.”
Former President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation that established National POW/MIA Recognition Day on July 18, 1979, and each president since then has issued such a proclamation every year for the day, now commemorated the third Friday in September.
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The Pentagon traditionally holds a ceremony each year at the national level, with members of each military branch participating.
On Friday, Fort Gordon conducted its observance at the POW Memorial. Col. Reginald Evans, Ft. Gordon Garrison Commander, was the keynote speaker, and also placed a wreath at the memorial.
“These ceremonies share the common purpose of honoring those who are held captive and returned, as well as those who remain missing,” Evans said. “America remains steadfast in the commitment to never leave behind a fallen comrade.”
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, more than 81,500 Americans are still missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars and other conflicts, most of them located in the Indo-Pacific, and over 41,000 presumed lost at sea.
Evans made sure to highlight in his address servicemen whose remains were recovered in 2021: Army Sgt. First Class, Nicholas John Valentine of Wisconsin, killed in action in 1950 during the Korean War; Marine Pvt. First Class Walter L. Collier of California, killed in action 1941 in World War II; Seaman Second Class, John G. Bock, Nebraska, killed in action in 1941; and Air Force Tech Sgt. Arthur W. Countryman of Illinois, killed in action in 1944.
Evans also recognized retired Col. Querin Herlik, a former prisoner of war, who was present at Friday’s ceremony and also placed a wreath at the memorial.
Herlik spent 30 days in captivity during his second tour in the Vietnam War, after his aircraft was shot down over Cambodia on February 12, 1969.
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Members of the Patriot Guard Riders also attended, as they do every year, in a caravan of motorcycles adorned with U.S. and POW/MIA flags, to stand at the memorial and pay tribute to fallen veterans. While many members are retired servicemembers, many are also civilians who want to honor the military.
“Hopefully, eventually we’ll bring them all home,” said Leon McLamb, Army veteran and state captain of the Patriot Guard Riders of Georgia. “We’re getting a few more all the time coming in, but way too many to be left, so we’re here to stand and honor them as best we can.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
