NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Veterans Services Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder today announced September 18-24, 2015 as POW/MIA Recognition Week. Since 2011, the remains of eight Tennessee service members who previously listed as Missing In Action (MIA) were recovered and returned to their country.
Staff Sergeant Lawrence Woods went missing on October 24, 1964 while serving with the United States Army in Vietnam. The Clarksville resident was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on March 21, 2014.
More than 83,000 Americans and more than 200 Tennesseans are still missing or unaccounted for since World War II. The United States Department of Defense Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DPAA) maintain information on returning remains of American heroes.
As a tribute to Prisoners of War and those still Missing in Action, the well-known POW-MIA Flag will fly over the Tennessee State Capitol on September 18.
Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder will present the Governor’s proclamation as keynote speaker during the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System POW/MIA Recognition Day Luncheon at the Smyrna town Centre at 100 Sam Ridley Parkway on Friday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m. (CDT). Assistant Commissioner Travis Murphy will present the Governor’s proclamation during the First Annual Veterans Golf Classic at 810 Nonaville Road in Mt. Juliet on Friday, September 19 at 12:00 p.m. (CDT). Assistant Commissioner Lorenza Wills will present the proclamation during a POW/MIA ceremony at the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery at 5901 Lyons View Pike in Knoxville on Saturday, September 20 at 2:00 p.m. (EDT).
For more information, visit the department’s website.