After supporting the cause for years, Salina officially a POW-MIA City
While the process has been years in the making, the final steps to have Salina designated as a POW-MIA City only took a few short weeks.
On March 14, Salina officially became the second city in Kansas and 50th in the nation to be designated as a Prisoner of War (POW)-Missing in Action (MIA) City by the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum, Inc.
Salina's designation comes after the City Commission adopted a resolution to become a POW-MIA City on March 13 with the assistance and at the encouragement of Steve Murrison, commander of local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1432.
"The process...was started earlier by the Vietnam Veterans of America (Chapter 809) here in Salina," Murrison said.
Murrison, an Army veteran who served in Panama during Operation Just Cause, said he knew the 809 had laid some of the groundwork, so he contacted the Jefferson Barracks to figure out how to finish that process.
"The process is to get the city to determine that it wanted to be a POW-MIA City," Murrison said.
The resolution passed by the commission stated its goals in wanting to be a designated city, including to raise awareness to the community about POWs and MIAs.
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A quick turnaround for the designation
Murrison said after the resolution was passed and signed, he took it and immediately submitted it.
"The Jefferson Barracks board was meeting that next morning," Murrison said. "They voted yes and notified us (of the designation)."
After the official designation, the Jefferson Barracks sent the city a POW-MIA City plaque, which was presented to the City Commission on April 10 by Murrison and Jim Deister, an Army veteran who was injured in the Vietnam War.
As of now, the city is still deciding the best placement for the plaque, but a POW-MIA flag is flying in front of the City-County Building, and was flying before the designation.
POW-MIA awareness increasing
Now that Salina has been designated an official POW-MIA City, there are several ways that people and organizations will continue to support and raise POW-MIA awareness.
"For (the upcoming) Memorial Day ceremony they're going to be unveiling, I believe, a bench...for recognition of POW-MIAs in Sunset Park at the (Veterans) Memorial," Murrison said.
Also part of the Memorial Day ceremony this year will be featured speaker Ann Mills-Griffiths, the executive director of the National League of POW/MIA Families.
Other veterans events coming up
In addition to the Memorial Day ceremony at Sunset Park, Murrison said there are several other events supporting, honoring and remembering veterans in the Salina community.
"On May 19, we're doing the Second Annual Salute to our Veterans at the VFW," Murrison said.
For this fundraising event, the VFW is hosting musicians and entertainers Jared Blake, Bigg Vinny and Thompson Square.
"(We're) raising money for the VFW, the Kansas Honor Flight and the Northpoint Veteran Care Foundation," Murrison said.
According to the VFW Post 1432 Facebook page, the event will also feature silent and live auctions. Ticket prices for the event begin at $40 for veterans, $50 for the general public and a $100 VIP option.
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina continues to support veterans as it becomes POW-MIA City
