Two important days: Former POW Day & POW/MIA Day

Submitted by Jon Baldwin
Clay Township Military Library & Museum

The United States has two national observances that honor prisoners of war and those still missing. They are related, but not the same.

1. National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day
Date: April 9 every year

• Honors former prisoners of war – service members who were captured and later came home.
• The date remembers April 9, 1942, when tens of thousands of American and Filipino troops on the Bataan Peninsula were forced on the brutal “Bataan Death March.”
• Created by Congress and first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.

How it is observed:

• Ceremonies at VA medical centers, national parks, veterans’ posts, and community sites.
• Former POWs are often named, invited to speak, or honored in person.
• The POW/MIA flag may be flown at government buildings and memorials.

Key idea for students and visitors:

• April 9 focuses on those who survived captivity and returned, and on the impact that experience had on them and their families.

2. National POW/MIA Recognition Day
Date: Third Friday in September every year

• Honors all who were prisoners of war and all who are still Missing in Action (MIA) and unaccounted for, from every conflict.
• First observed nationally in 1979 after families of Vietnam War POW/MIAs pushed for full accounting of their loved ones.

How it is observed:

• A major national ceremony is held, traditionally at the Pentagon, with former POWs, families of the missing, and senior leaders present.
• Ceremonies are also held worldwide on military bases, ships at sea, state capitols, schools, and veterans’ organizations.
• The POW/MIA flag is required by law to be flown at many federal buildings on this day.

Key idea for students and visitors:

• September’s day reminds us that some never came home, and that the United States still works to find, identify, and return them

How to think about the two days

For middle school, high school, college students, and adults:

• April 9: “They survived.” We listen to former POWs (or their families), learn what captivity was like, and thank them for their courage and endurance.
• Third Friday in September: “We remember and still search.” We honor everyone who was a POW and everyone still missing, and we highlight the nation’s promise to keep looking until every person we can possibly find is accounted for.

Both days say the same core thing in different ways: Their sacrifice matters, and they are not forgotten.

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