AUGUSTA, Maine — Several veterans who were prisoners of war shared their stories as part of the POW/MIA Recognition Day program Friday at the Veterans Affairs Togus Medical Center, according to Patricia Albert-Dehetre, Former POW Committee director for VA Maine.
POW/MIA Recognition Day is held each year on the third Friday of September to honor missing service members and the sacrifices of their families and to remind residents of the “unending commitment to fully account for every patriot who has answered the call to defend our nation,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said in a news release.
“The strength of that commitment was made powerfully clear here in Maine just a few days ago,” when the remains of a Navy pilot from Rangeley were laid to rest after being missing for 49 years, said Collins, who added she was honored to attend his burial.
“Fifty years ago, on Sept. 14, 1965, Navy pilot Lt. Neil Taylor of Rangeley made the ultimate sacrifice while on his 68th mission over Vietnam. For nearly 49 of those years, he lay at rest in a place known only to God. Late last year, due to the perseverance of his family and of our nation’s commitment to those taken prisoner or missing in action, Lt. Taylor’s remains were located in a Vietnamese rice paddy and identified through DNA testing,” Collins said. “On Sept. 14, 2015, [50 years] to the day that he gave his life in freedom’s cause, an American hero finally came home, and his family was provided the solace that accompanies closure.”
Collins said the fight should never end, especially because “some 83,000 Americans remain missing and unaccounted for” from wars and conflicts that date back to World War I.
“Since World War I,” she added, “more than 140,000 Americans have suffered the hardships of captivity as prisoners of war.”
The surviving POWs who live in Maine either are skilled at telling their stories or reluctant, Albert-Dehetre said she learned as director of the Former POW Committee.
“It is interesting that many of them don’t tell their story. It’s just not something they did,” she said. “They always had the mindset: It is what it was, and you have to move on. This date is set aside just to recognize them. It’s important that we continue to do this.”
She said veterans at last year’s event asked for more stories and for an active duty component to be added. This year the Maine National Guard’s honor guard and chaplain were invited.
“It starts in the chapel … and ends in the chapel,” Albert-Dehetre said. “We want to be sure we recognize and honor those veterans who gave so much in the line of duty.”