Aviano Airmen honor POW/MIA military members

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Lindsey Maurice
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Hundreds of Aviano Airmen and civilians came together Sept. 15-19 to pay tribute to those servicemembers who were held as prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action.

The tribute, which included reveille and retreat ceremonies, a 24-hour vigil run and 12-hour roll call of POW/MIAs, was part of the National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which is observed on the third Friday in September.

"POW/MIA Recognition Day affords us an opportunity to honor heroes like Lt. Col. Mel Pollack (a former Vietnam POW and special guest of Aviano's tribute), while at the same time reminds us of maybe the most important aspect of all - there are still many of our brothers and sisters-in-arms who have yet to return," said Tech Sgt. Terry DeRise, Aviano POW/MIA committee chairman. "Those reminders, however big or small, keep us vigilantly searching."

This year's Aviano POW/MIA recognition opened with 23 motorcyclists from Harley Owners Group and Green Knights delivering the POW/MIA Flag to the 31st Fighter Wing commander in front of the wing headquarters building, followed by an official reveille ceremony performed by the base honor guard.

That evening, immediately following retreat, more than 160 Aviano Airmen and civilians embarked on a 24-hour vigil run on the base running track, walking and running laps in 10-minute blocks. Participants logged almost 325 miles in honor of those servicemembers who endured unspeakable hardships 24-hours-a-day as POWs.

"Prisoners of war and those missing in action are such an important part of our heritage and who we are," said Master Sgt. James Prior of the 31st Maintenance Squadron, who ran more than two hours, logging more than 14 miles. "It's important for us to honor them and never forget the sacrifices they endured. Participating in this run from 2:45-5 a.m. is just a small sacrifice to honor them."

During the week, base members were also afforded the opportunity to speak with Colonel Pollack as he visited with Airmen throughout the base, sharing his experiences as a Vietnam POW.

"You get the strength (to survive) from the Code of Conduct, you get the strength from the basic human survival instinct and you get the strength because your fellow Airmen have the same thoughts," Colonel Pollock told Aviano Airmen. The colonel, spoke of his time as a POW at the Hanoi Hilton for more than five years, including conversations he had with presidential candidate John McCain while in captivity.

During his visit, Colonel Pollack also joined base members in the 12-hour Roll of Honor Citation Vigil, where 82 volunteers read aloud more than 4,500 names of the 92,244 servicemembers who were either POWs or who are still missing in action from conflicts dating back to World War I.

The week-long Aviano tribute concluded Sept. 19 with 175-person "ruck sack" march around the base followed by a retreat ceremony with formations of both U.S. and Italian military members.

"I could not have imagined a better turn out for the week's events," said Sergeant DeRise. "We should all be proud of the response that the great people of Aviano gave to such a worthwhile cause."