GREENFIELD — Roughly 20 people gathered on the Greenfield Common on Friday morning for a ceremony marking National Prisoners of War (POW)/Missing in Action (MIA) Recognition Day.
Christopher Demars, director of the Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans’ Services District, read a prepared statement about the day’s history and importance before a POW/MIA flag was raised over the common and lowered to half-staff, as ordered by Gov. Maura Healey.
“Today, at the Pentagon, and in many other locations around the world, a ceremony similar to this one will be held,” Demars read. “By being here today, you and I are part of a global effort to bring recognition to this noble mission and to remind the families of this special category of brave patriots that they are truly not forgotten.”
Demars, a retired U.S. Army sergeant major who earned a Bronze Star for Service after being seriously wounded in Afghanistan, said Massachusetts officially has 39 servicemembers who are unaccounted for. Nearly 81,000 service members remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and other conflicts around the world.
The modest crowd on the Greenfield Common was made up mostly of veterans — including U.S. Marine Corps veterans Maria Burge, the Greenfield Police Department’s first-ever community liaison, and the Rev. John Williams, the new Catholic priest with Blessed Trinity Parish.
According to Demars’ remarks, National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established by Congress as part of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act. He said the National POW/MIA Flag Act, signed into law in 2019, requires the POW/MIA flag to be flown wherever the American flag is displayed on prominent federal properties.
“This legislation reaffirms our country’s commitment to our missing and ensures that the words emblazoned on the flag continue to communicate a clear message of our unwavering support and commitment to our nation’s heroes and their families,” Demars said. “That message is this: You are not forgotten. Private citizens, organizations and businesses are free to display the POW/MIA flag whenever they wish.”
