Lost But Never Forgotten

  • Published
  • By Airman First Class Jan K. Valle
  • 5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  

On Sep. 17-18, 2020, Team Minot Airmen from the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing participated in the annual POW/MIA 24-hour Recognition run and retreat.

Starting from the main gate and finishing at the base track, the first part of the run consisted of a “Lone Runner” carrying a POW/MIA flag escorted by motorcycles. Upon arrival at the track, names of those who were prisoners of war or missing in action were read as the “Lone Runner” handed the POW/MIA flag to the next volunteer and started the first 30-minute interval of the day.

“We had roughly 250 volunteers that alternated shifts throughout the day and night, concluding the run at 2 p.m. the next day”, said Master Sgt. Joseph Brown, 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance superintendent.

The second portion of the event consisted of a retreat where the POW/MIA flag was planted.  Leadership from across the base, including the Minot Air Force Base vice commander, Colonel Brian D. Vlaun attended the event.

            “The event concluded with the “Lone Runner” running to the retreat ceremony,” said Brown. “The base Honor Guard then lowered the flag from the pole and performed a ceremonial flag folding presentation.”

In 1971, Mrs. Michael Hoff, the wife of an officer who went missing in action during the Vietnam War, thought of the idea for a national flag to remember those who were captured or never returned from the war. The black and white image on the POW/MIA flag that includes a silhouette, a strand of barbed wire and a watchtower was designed by Newt Heisley, a former World War II pilot.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, over 83,000 Americans are currently still missing. The DPAA believes approximately 75% of those missing are located in the Asia-Pacific region, with more than 41,000 presumed to be lost at sea.

 “This event is important because we remember those who gave everything”, said Brown. “We like to constantly remind ourselves that some of us paid the ultimate price and we don’t want them to be forgotten”