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Team Eglin remembers with POW/MIA Recognition Day

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  • By Randy Gon
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Hundreds gathered for the annual Prisoner-of-War and Missing-in-Action recognition ceremony at the Air Force Armament Museum here, Sept. 21.

The 53rd Wing hosted the ceremony, featuring retired Lt. Col. Bruce McKenty, the national commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, as guest speaker.

The event serves as a reminder of the risks and sacrifices American service members and their families make.

"Today we pay tribute to special American heroes; those military men and women who suffered unspeakable torture at the hands of our enemies," said McKenty. "We also pay tribute to those of our brothers, whose fate still remains unknown for they have never been able to return home to their mothers, their fathers, their wives, their families."

During the ceremony, Dr. Ginger Maddox honored two Purple Heart recipients, Staff Sgts. Kevin Parke and Christopher Lacy of the 96th Explosive Ordinance Disposal flight, each with a Quilt of Valor from her local non-profit organization, Flying Needles Quilt Guild of Niceville, Fla. A third quilt was also presented in recognition of all the fallen heroes of the state of Florida. It will hang in the museum.

Under flags held by the Patriot Guard, younger service members joined older veterans outside for a formal wreath laying and rifle volley performed by the Eglin Honor Guard.

"It means a lot to see them," said Senior Airman Rebecca Smith, 24, of the 96th Surgical Operations Squadron. "You're always a brother or sister in arms, no matter your age."

The ceremony concluded with taps followed by the missing man flyover performed by the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron.

"We should always have the mindset of the past and who came before us," said Capt. Kevin Lawhon of the 36th Electronic Warfare Squadron and event leader for the ceremony. "Not just once a year on the national day, but all the time."