Today, April 9, 2020, is National Former POW Recognition Day. President Trump issued the annual proclamation yesterday. This may seem like an odd day, disconnected from familiar weekends or events, but it is a very specific date, fraught with terrible significance.

March 28, 1988, President Reagan signed Public Law 100-269, “A joint resolution designating April 9, 1988, and April 9, 1989, as ‘National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day.’

Whereas the United States has fought in many wars;

Whereas thousands of members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in such wars were captured by the enemy and held as prisoners of war;

Whereas many such prisoners of war were subjected to brutal and inhumane treatment by their captors in violation of international codes and customs for the treatment of prisoners of war and died, or were disabled, as a result of such treatment;

Whereas in 1985, the United States Congress (in Public Law 99-145) directed the Department of Defense to issue a medal to former prisoners of war in recognition and commemoration of their great sacrifices in service to our Nation; and

Whereas these great sacrifices of former prisoners of war and their families deserve national recognition: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That April 9, 1988, is designated as “National Former Prisoners of War Recognition Day” in honor of the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who have been held as prisoners of war, and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to commemorate such days with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The phrase “many such prisoners of war were subjected to brutal and inhumane treatment by their captors in violation of international codes and customs for the treatment of prisoners of war and died, or were disabled, as a result of such treatment” gets us closer to “why April 9?” It was on that day, a day that should live in far more infamy that December 7, 1941, that the Bataan Death March started.

President Reagan spelled it out in the first presidential proclamation [emphasis added]:

Proclamation 5788 — National Former Prisoners of War Recognition Day, 1988
April 1, 1988

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

It is truly fitting that America observe April 9 in recognition of our former prisoners of war; that date is the 46th anniversary of the day in 1942 when U.S. forces holding out on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines were captured. Later, as prisoners of war, these gallant Americans were subjected to the infamous Bataan Death March and to other inhumane treatment that killed thousands of them before they could be liberated. In every conflict, brutality has invariably been meted out to American prisoners of war; on April 9 and every day, we must remember with solemn pride and gratitude that valor and tenacity have ever been our prisoners’ response.

That is clear from the words of then-Captain Jeremiah Denton, USN, when he and other U.S. prisoners of war were freed in 1973 after years of captivity in North Vietnam. “We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country under these difficult circumstances,” Captain Denton said. Implacable and incredible courage, endurance, faith, and patriotism were behind those words — eloquent and immortal testimony to the spirit of America’s Armed Forces in the Vietnam War and throughout our history.

The term “difficult circumstances” referred to nothing less than physical and mental torture, starvation, disease, separation from loved ones, and deprivation of medical treatment — an ordeal that for some, in every conflict, did not end until death. To their brave families we offer solace and salute. To our former prisoners of war who endured so much, we say that with your example and with God’s help we will seek to meet the standards of devotion you have set; we will never forget your service or your sacrifice.

The Congress, by Public Law 100 – 269, has designated April 9, 1988, as “National Former Prisoners of War Recognition Day” and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim April 9, 1988, as National Former Prisoners of War Recognition Day, and I urge all Americans to observe this day of remembrance with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twelfth.

Ronald Reagan

This is the 32nd year commemorating American former prisoners of war, and it is likely one of the last times any survivor of the Bataan Death March, or any of the Imperial Japanese or Nazi German prison camp survivors, will be with us. The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II is highlighted in this year’s presidential proclamation [emphasis added]:

Proclamation on National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, 2020

VETERANS | Issued on: April 8, 2020

Since our founding, brave men and women who have selflessly answered the call of duty to defend our precious liberty have shaped the fabric of our Nation. In the course of fighting for our freedom and security, many of these heroes have been captured and often subjected to shocking conditions and unimaginable torture. On National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, we honor the more than 500,000 American warriors captured while protecting our way of life. We pay tribute to these patriots for their unwavering and unrelenting spirit.

In every major conflict in our Nation’s history, American prisoners of war (POWs) have stared down our enemies, knowing at any moment their captors might torture them yet again or even kill them. These patriots, however, knew that they were fighting for something much larger than individual survival. They persevered for the sake of their fellow POWs, comrades in arms, families, and country.

Later this year, we will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II. Over the course of the war, nearly 94,000 American troops in the European Theater and an additional 27,000 in the Pacific Theater were captured and held as POWs. Subjected to starvation, lack of medical care, and unimaginable suffering, these Americans endured hell on Earth. The POWs who returned home were forever changed. Many bore the seen and unseen scars and wounds of war, having experienced the worst of humanity.

Though we can never fully understand the depth of their brutal imprisonment and mistreatment, as Americans, it is our duty to ensure all former POWs receive the love, care, compassion, appreciation, and support they deserve. It is our national obligation to remain mindful of the tremendous sacrifices they, their family members, and their loved ones endured over months and years of uncertainty, worry, and heartache. May the stories of these warriors inspire us to live each day with fierce conviction, indomitable will, and everlasting pride for our country.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 9, 2020, as National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. I call upon Americans to observe this day by honoring the service and sacrifice of all former prisoners of war and to express our Nation’s eternal gratitude for their sacrifice. I also call upon Federal, State, and local government officials and organizations to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.

DONALD J. TRUMP