ARPC holds POW/MIA recognition vigil

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. J.C. Woodring
  • Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs
DENVER --  To commemorate National POW/MIA Recognition Day, Airmen and civilian employees gathered here Sept. 18 to start a 24-hour vigil to remember prisoners of war or those missing in action. 

The ceremony opened with recognition of the missing man table -- a table set with a red rose and ribbon, an inverted glass and an empty chair -- symbolizing men and women who are still missing in action. 

Following the recognition, ARPC's Chief Master Sgt. Valerie Pryor, MS, and Senior Airman Sancoyus Justice, DPS, began reading the names of more than 10,000 people missing or captured from the Cold War through current operations. 

Throughout the next 24 hours, 96 Airmen and civilian volunteers read in 30-minute shifts, the names, ranks, branches of service and dates they went missing. 

"I wanted to honor those that came before me," said Master Sgt. Laramie Reece, vigil coordinator and superintendent of ARPC's directorate of personnel data systems. "These people stand for the freedoms we enjoy today. I think it's important to recognize that."

The vigil ended Sept. 19, with a formal retreat ceremony of two military and one civilian formations and the retiring of the POW/MIA flag. 

POW/MIA Recognition Day is one of six days throughout the year that Congress has mandated flying of the POW/MIA flag.