Gone, But Not Forgotten: POW/MIA Day

Remember those times when we wore special bracelets to honor those who were captive or lost in wars? With all the chaos going on in these times, threats of a third World War and dangers in the Middle East, we might forget that one group of people is still missing their loved ones, and those soldiers’ remains may rest in a land far away. That’s the reason the U.S. designated a POW/MIA Day in September every year, starting in August 1990:

In August, personal meetings were held with the family members of those missing. ‘We do this each year because this is part of DPAA's mission, which is to connect and communicate with families of the missing,’ said Kelly McKeague, director of the DPAA, during a press event Wednesday. ‘It's a chance for us to provide them updates on their loved one's case, particularly in the backdrop of the Korean War and the Cold War.’

The DPAA team was joined by their counterparts from South Korea, the Ministry of National Defense Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification, also called MAKRI, which is a partner in helping DPAA recover remains of American service members. ‘I participate in [this] event every year to describe to the bereft family how we are doing, how we are making efforts to find, locate, recover and identify the U.S. servicemen who sacrificed their lives during the Korean War, and it is my great honor to participate in this year's [event],’ said Keun-Won Lee, MAKRI's director.

North Korea, where many men were lost, has been invited to participate in this program, but has not as of this date.

The primary mission of the DPAA includes repatriating more than 72,000 unaccounted-for service members from World War II, more than 1,500 members from the Vietnam War, and more than 7,400 service members from the Korean War.

When there is an update on a service member’s case, a report is sent to the family. Robert Goeke, who is the chief of family support for DPAA, noted that at this year’s meeting, many families were attending for the first time:

‘We asked for a show of hands, and it was surprising how many first-time families were showing,’ Goeke said, later confirming that 56 attendees were first-timers. ‘They're picking up the mantle and they're running with it because they're not going to give up. … So, it's inspiring that they're carrying on for their mothers — their grandfathers in some cases — to bring back their loved ones.’

Some of the stories of the families are quite moving:

Karoni Forrester was 2 when her father, Marine Corps Capt. Ron Forrester, was shot down in an A6A Intruder over North Vietnam on Dec. 27, 1972. He and his pilot, Capt. Ralph Chipman, were both declared missing in action.

Their cases remained that way for more than half a century until late last year, when their remains were finally identified.

‘I got a text message from my casualty officer saying, 'Give me a call. I have something positive to report,' a tearful Forrester remembered of the day she was notified. ‘I just knew, but I also thought, 'What?!?' My daughter was home, and my husband was working from home … so the three of us got to be together while we heard him say, 'We made a positive match.'

Karoni Forrester made it her mission to also champion other families who were hoping to get the results of their loved one’s remains, even before the remains of her father were located. She kept track of every finding and celebrated their stories.

She also learned that she could speak to a DNA specialist, in order to understand the science of identifying the remains. It was a way to be certain of the results.

Finally, Forrester described her reaction to their work:

Nearly 52 years after his death, on Oct. 7, Ron Forrester will finally be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. While it might be the end of his long saga, his daughter said she doesn't quite feel the closure that many thought she would.

‘I don't know that I believe in closure,’ Karoni Forrester said. ‘But the torment is gone. … There's this emotional torment about what happened to your loved one, and that's gone. It's so cool, and I want that for everybody.’

We are blessed not to be engaged in a war with our military. Let’s hope that more families will soon learn about the remains of their loved ones and find some peace.