Alliance veterans set for POW/MIA ceremony
Alliance Veterans Council will mark National Prisoner of War-Missing in Action Recognition Day with a ceremony at 3 p.m. Sunday at Freedom Square in the city's downtown.
All veterans, their families and the public are welcome.
The Alliance Veterans Council includes members of American Legion Post 166, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 50, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 157.
The service will include the traditional POW/MIA table service. It serves as a symbol of the service of the Armed Forces who were prisoners of war or missing in action.
Bob Akins, president of Vietnam Veterans of America Thomas A Mangino Post #157, will be speaker for the event. Akins graduated from Alliance High School in 1966, and enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1967. Upon completion of basic training, Akins attended Construction Surveying School, Advanced Construction Surveying School and NCO school at Ft. Belvoir in Virginia. His service in Vietnam began in April 1968, when he was assigned to the 864th Engineering Battalion. Akins helped build and maintain roads and bridges in the Central Highlands for 22 months, and received two Army commendation medals for his service.
Upon returning home in February 1970, Akins pursued a career as a surveyor. Today, he is licensed in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
In 1986, he opened Akins Land Surveying in the basement of Ernie’s Barbershop on Main Street. He has served the Greater Alliance area for nearly four decades. Today, Akins Land Surveying is operating with the assistance of Bob's son, Jared, who received his professional land surveying license in 2007.
Akins has served as president of the Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio and Ohio’s representative to the National Society of Professional Surveyors for 12 years. He currently is president-elect of the National Society of Professional Land Surveyors.
Akins has participated in many veteran activities and was instrumental in the establishment of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Memorial Park in 2021.
During Sunday's ceremony, the presidents, commanders and VIPs will present a wreath for those held captive and or who are missing in action.
The combined firing squads of American Legion Post 166 and Vietnam Veterans of America Thomas A Mangino Chapter 157 will give a ceremonial salute concluding with "Taps" and "Echo," played by veteran August Grove.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Alliance veterans set for POW/MIA ceremony
