LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The morning sounds of Langley Air Force Base, Va. seemed to pause as the melodic notes of the Star Spangled Banner floated somberly through the warm air, Sept. 21.
Almost immediately after the last note disappeared among the resurgent hum of birds and insects, a group of six runners appeared in the distance - carrying the POW-MIA flag to its final destination after a run that lasted an entire day.
"It is our responsibility to honor our nation by remembering those who have not returned," said U.S. Air Force Col. Kevin Robbins, 1st Fighter Wing commander, as he spoke at a remembrance ceremony honoring Service members who were at one time, or still are, prisoners of war, or missing in action.
Since its inception on July 18, 1979, the third Friday of every September has been devoted to honoring those individuals who were lost in the fields of battle on some distance shore. According to the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command, to date, nearly 74,000 World War II Service members are still missing from the ranks of their units. The Korean War has yet to return 8,000. In the jungles of Vietnam, another 1,700 American military personnel are still lost to their friends and family members. During the Cold War, Robbins said, 125 people were taken by hostile forces - and are yet to be returned.
"You will not be forgotten" Robbins said to the silent ranks, unable to join the remembrance ceremony. "Never give up, never give in and always strive to come back home."
Robbins said while he never had to endure the horrors of a prisoner of war camp, the respect and admiration for his fellow Service members who have is always present. Retired U.S. Navy Commander George Coker, a former POW during the Vietnam War, knows all too well the horrors which are associated with enduring capture by an enemy force. His A-6 Intruder was shot down during a mission over North Vietnam. Coker spent seven-and-a-half years in captivity.
"I remember all of it in vivid detail," Coker said. "It was very lonely. I spent three years in solitary. There was also a lot of torture."
Coker said the physical torture paled in comparison to the mental anguish he suffered. To this day, he still has nightmares of his time spent as a POW, from August 1966 until February 1973.
"The last, I was living minute-to-minute," he said. "I was completely exhausted, both mentally and physically. If I had to go any longer, I wouldn't have made it."
Coker said in order for someone to survive the kind of torture he endured, they would already need these principles in their life. They aren't going to suddenly find them during their imprisonment. Even though Coker was sustained by his values, he does still harbor resentment for his time as a POW.
"I don't hate the Vietnamese or Asian people," he said. "I hate my captors."
Even after decades apart from his experience, Coker said he isn't likely to simply forgive and forget what happened to him and his fellow Service members.
"They brutalized the living daylights out of us," he said. "They killed some of my friends. I won't ever forget that."
Even though his experience still haunts him, Coker said he sustained himself and was able to return with honor by following three major principles: faith, hope and love.
"You've got to have faith," he said. "You have to believe in something more than just yourself. You also need hope - to know things will get better. Most importantly, you need love. You have to love someone other than yourself."