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LEARN HOW TO MAKE OUR TYPE LARGER

A moving experience
Published May 2000

By CYN LoPINTO
Editor-in-chief, gerontologist

Although the observance of Memorial Day originally was limited to those who died while serving our country, people also use this holiday to honor military personnel still missing or unaccounted for. According to the League of Families of MIA/POWs, 2,029 Americans are listed as prisoners of war (POWs) or missing in action (MIAs) from the Vietnam War alone.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Moving Wall – a mobile replica of Washington’s Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial – at Plant City’s Medard park. The idea for the Moving Wall came from three California veterans who wanted to share their experience with other veterans after witnessing the 1992 dedication ceremony of the Veterans Memorial in Washington. By designing a portable version, Americans all over the country could see this tribute. The Moving Wall was finished October 1984.

As I walked towards the wall, glancing at the thousands of names listed, the magnitude of what I was witnessing was shared in a collective silence. There was a peaceful energy surrounding the area and a feeling of sadness and respect.

Back when I was in high school during the mid-70s, I was introduced to the POW/MIA Bracelet Campaign. This program was started by a Los Angeles student based organization called Voices In Vital America (VIVA) which manufactured bracelets bearing the names of missing Americans from the Vetnam War. Along with the names, were the soldiers’ rank and date of loss. The money from these bracelets was used to publicize the POW/MIA issue throughout the US.

I saved my bracelet all these years and would wear it on Memorial and Veterans Day. I tried a few times to find out what happened to the particular soldier that was on my bracelet, but never did.

When I visited the Moving Wall wearing my bracelet, I hoped to find out something. Computers were set up and in a matter of minutes, I learned that the officer on my bracelet was still missing and where his name was located on the wall. I was able to transfer his name from the wall using a black crayon and paper.

Standing back and looking at all the names knowing that each one represents a family of many people, was quite overwhelming. Actually seeing the name of the person I thought about for so many years hit me hard. It became a instant reality.

Want to contact the family of the veteran listed on your POW/MIA bracelet?

National Alliance of Families
P.O. Box 40327
Bellevue WA 98015-4327
www.nationalalliance.org

MIA/POW Bracelet
Information Exchange
thewall-usa.com/ bracelet/index.html

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