National POW/MIA Recognition Day 2025

The term POW refers to Prisoner of War and MIA stands for Missing in Action representing military personnel who went missing during armed conflict.

Today is POW/MIA Recognition Day.

It is is observed each third Friday of September making it September 19 this year in the name of committing to full accountability to the families of the more than 80,000 veterans captured or still missing from wars in which The Republic has participated.

Fighter airplanes from the military bases fly in the ‘missing man formation’ in honor of the missing.

The day was first observed in 1979 when Congress and the president passed a resolution to make it official.

This was in response to demands of the families of 2,500 Vietnam War POW/MIAs who asked for accountability in finding their loved ones.

it is also mostly associated with service members who were prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

God bless America.

God bless the prisoner of war.

God bless the missing in action.