Day to remember pPOW-MIA
Sep. 16—ASHTABULA — A small table with an American flag, several plates, a glass and a candle are a constant reminder of prisoners of war and service members missing in action.
The tables are set up in area American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War posts and other clubs and organizations committed to veterans.
Friday was a special day to remember veterans who experienced life as prisoners of war or those who were never returned to the United States.
Armando DeCamillo, of Ashtabula, said the day is a good way to remember those who suffered or were killed.
Monte Foltz, of Ashtabula, said his unit had soldiers who were missing in action during his time in Vietnam.
Milton Luce, a career U.S. Army engineer, said he always remembers the prisoners of war and the missing in action. He said he also remembers the more than 7,700 lost during fighting since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
"I think about them all the time," he said.
Robert Dolden, also of Conneaut, was in the U.S. Army form 1968-70. "I was in Vietnam for most of 1969," he said.
"It's a day of remembrance. We are running out of World War II veterans," Dolden said.
Debbie Hunt of Ashtabula is not a veteran, but the awareness of those who have sacrificed so much is close to here heart.
"My son [Joe Ricket] was in Afghanistan from 2007-11," she said.
"He lost half his company," Hunt said.
The POW-MIA table, set for one, symbolizes the fact that some armed forces members are missing from the ranks. Each part of the table setting also symbolizes different parts of the experience such as a single rose signifying the blood that may have been shed or a slice of lemon that shows the bitter fate the POW-MIAs were served.
The Department of Defense is still seeking those who were lost in action. The DOD website indicates more than 45 countries have been the site of attempts to find and retrieve the remains of missing soldiers.
