The Origins of the POW Flag
Back in the 1970s the Vietnam War was claiming the lives of service men by the thousands each week. In addition, countless service members were disappearing and little, it seemed, was being done to honor the lives of those held in captivity or simply missing in action.
The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia is said to have recognized a need for some kind of symbol for U.S. prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action, known as MIAs.
Of course, if you are old enough, you may remember the POW bracelets that carried the names of missing soldiers. But the League took it a step further and worked to create a flag for those who’d been held in captivity for as many as seven years and those who of course never came home.
The POW flag, first flown over the White House and installed in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in 1989, features the League’s symbol in the center, designed by Newt Heisley, a black-and-white image of the silhouette of a man in profile with his head bowed in the foreground and guard tower and barbed wire behind him and a black disk with the white letters POW and MIA framing a white 5-pointed star. Below the disk is a black and white wreath above the white motto: “You are not Forgotten.”
Heisley is reported to have used the image of his son Jeffrey, a 24-year old member of the United States Marine Corps as inspiration for the design. Recalling his own experience as a fighter pilot Heisley added the phrase “You Are Not Forgotten” on the bottom of the POW flag. Interviews with Heisley later on after the POW flag gained full-scale recognition, he recalled that the flag had only been “intended for a small group” and that “No one realized it was going to get national attention”.
In 1990, the United States Congress designated the flag Heisley designed as “the symbol of our nation’s concern” for soldiers still missing in action in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Congress also mandated six days out of each year for displaying the POW flag: Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day and Veterans Day. On these days you will see the POW flag being flown at all military establishments and federal buildings across the country.
The POW flag has been said to have been altered many times. Even the colors have been switched from black with white to red, white and blue, to white with black, and the POW/MIA wording has at times been revised to MIA/POW.
On March 9, 1989, a league flag that had flown over the White House on the 1988 National POW/MIA
In case you want to display the POW/MIA flag at your home, your office or somewhere where you can show your support for imprisoned or missing loved ones who have or are serving their country, here are the days of the year designated for its display:
Armed Forces Day—Third Saturday in May
Memorial Day—Last Monday in May
Flag Day—June 14
Independence Day—July 4
National POW/MIA Recognition Day—Third Friday in September
Veterans Day—November 11
To know more about POW Flags please browse POW Flags
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