| This page is to honor those Americans who
never returned from the wars that they so bravely fought.
Throughout our Nation's history, the men and women
of America's Armed Forces have preserved our freedom, protected our
security, and upheld our democratic values. From the battles of the
American Revolution through the crucible of two world wars to the
challenging peacekeeping and humanitarian missions of today's post-Cold
War era, our men and women in uniform have stood proudly in defense of the
United States and in the cause of liberty. In the two centuries since our
Nation's birth, more than a million have paid the price of that liberty
with their lives.
Joining the ranks of these heroes are the
thousands who have been held as prisoners of war or whose fate has never
been resolved. Many have been lost in the chaos of battle, the grief of
their loss made more acute for their families and their fellow Americans
because of the inability to determine whether they perished or survived.
Captive Americans, cruelly stripped of their freedom, treated with
contempt and brutality, or used as pawns by their captors in a larger
political struggle, have fought long, lonely battles against despair,
physical and psychological torture, and the ultimate fear of being
forgotten.
But Americans will never forget those
who have borne the indignities and sufferings of captivity in service to
our country, those missing in action, or those who died as prisoners of
war, far from home and family. They made the ultimate sacrifice to
preserve the freedoms that we as Americans so often take for granted.
POW'S/MIA'S YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN
- Prisoner of War (POW): A detained person as defined in Articles 4 and 5 of the
Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of
August 12, 1949. In particular, one who, while engaged in combat under
orders of his government, is captured by the armed forces of the enemy.
- Missing in Action (MIA): A military service member is in a missing (missing in
action) status if not at his duty location due to apparent involuntary
reasons as a result of hostile action and his location is not known.
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