ARLINGTON, Va. — The nation paused Friday to honor America's military missing in action (MIA) and prisoners of war (POW). National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established in 1979 through a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday in September. More than 81,000 personnel remain missing and unaccounted for to this day.
At the Pentagon, leaders remembered those service members who sacrificed so much.
"We will never give up; we will never lose hope, and we will always honor the sacrifice and service of your loved ones," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
"As we honor the missing, we must also honor their families, the ones who waited for years for their loved ones' return, and those who still wait," said Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
One of the nation's Vietnam War POWs was George Coker of Virginia Beach. He was a Navy Bombardier/Navigator flying on an A-6 Intruder, in 1966 when he and his pilot were shot down over North Vietnam.
Coker spent the next 2,382 days in captivity as a prisoner of war, two and a half years of that in solitary confinement. In 2023, Coker told 13 News Now that he had no regrets.
"It was worth it to me. And if I had to do it again, I'd do it again. Because that's what my duty called me to do," he said.
In a Presidential proclamation, President Joe Biden said: "They will never be forgotten, and their courage, service, and sacrifice will always be cherished by our grateful Nation."