During the Vietnam war, a surprising amount of American soldiers were taken captive in almost all battlefields of the war. While some of these soldiers were freed or escaped, there are still over 1,500 soldiers officially listed as ‘Missing In Action’ or considered a possible ‘Prisoner of War’ from the Vietnam War. It is still unknown how many POW soldiers died in captivity as most of their identities were never documented by their captors over time, or the information was lost/destroyed. In the early 70s, many family members of POW/MIA soldiers were part of the ‘National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia’, and to represent the group and their cause, the POW/MIA flag was created by the request of specific members. It was created to increase awareness of the families struggling to find answers of their lost loved ones who were serving in combat and had been forgotten by the rest of the world, including their own government. The flag, created by Newt Heisley in 1972, was officially recognized by the United States Congress and flown at the White House starting a decade later in 1982. While that may sound like a long time to wait, the POW/MIA flag is the ONLY flag to ever be flown over the White House besides the American Flag.
In 1998, the 105th Congress passed the Section 1082 part of the Defense Authorization Act which designated specific days on which this flag would be flown at federal buildings: Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and Veterans Day.
As of 2020, there are 1,585 Americans remaining unaccounted for in war, of which 1,007 of them are still being investigated to find answers. The rest are not being investigated for multiple reasons. Regardless of numbers stated, all of these people were Americans and not just a statistic. While their fate could be assumed as fallen soldiers, it is important to find out their full stories not only for history, but for their family members at home. It is also important to research them, to bring transparency to their possible abductors, torturers, and killers and the flags they served under. The DPMO, Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office is responsible for investigating and managing the status of all POW/MIA Americans.
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