JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
U.S. Service members and civilians from Joint Base Langley-Eustis came together at Langley Air Force Base to honor prisoners of war and military members still missing in action during the 5th annual POW/MIA Memorial week Sept. 16 and 17.
During the events, Langley hosted U.S. Air Force retired Lt. Col. Barry Bridger and Shellie Woodell, POWs from the Vietnam Conflict and WWII, respectively.
The two-day tribute began with at the Shellbank Fitness Center track with a ribbon cutting ceremony, commemorating the beginning of the base events and signaling the start of the 24-Hour Memorial Run/Walk, an event where Airmen keep two POW/MIA flags in motion. Colonel Kevin Huyck, 1st Fighter Wing commander, ran the first lap, beginning the 24-hour run which spanned the installation.
The events continued later that day at the base theater where Bridger gave a presentation detailing his experiences during the six years he was held captive by enemy forces at the Hanoi Hilton prison camp in North Vietnam.
The following day, a ceremony was held at Memorial Grove to signal the end of the two-day vigil. Airman 1st Class Mark Underhill, 633rd Medical Operations Squadron pediatric medical technician, carried the POW/MIA flag to the ceremony, escorted by the Green Knights Motorcycle Club. The flag was raised over the ceremony by the base honor guard where it will fly until next year's memorial events.
Bridger and Col. John J. Allen Jr., 633rd Air Base Wing commander, spoke at the event, reminding attendees of the importance of memorials like the ceremony.
"The prisoner of war experience is not so much a story about the trials and tribulations of POWs, but it is a revelation of American values," said Bridger. "American POWs quickly learned the crushing environment of a prisoner of war camp can quickly destroy the mind and body - but it cannot touch the spirit."
Following the ceremony, Service members attended a luncheon at the Langley Club where both Bridger and Woodell answered questions about their experiences.
"We were honored to have POWs visit our base and [the opportunity] to learn and hear their experiences first hand was incredible," said Tech. Sgt. Jhonathan Knuth, Air Combat Command Inspector General command traffic management inspector. "Remembering POWs and MIAs is important because those men and women provided a promise to protect our country, our people and our way of life."
Congress passed a resolution authorizing the inaugural National POW/MIA Recognition Day to be observed on July 18, 1979. The observance dates varied until 1986, when Congress designated the third Friday of September as the official observance. According to the Defense Prisoner of War and Missing Personnel Office, there are more than 83,000 American Service members missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the 1991 Gulf War.