POW/MIA

All those who fought and served their country when they received the call, were men and women of courage, judgment, integrity and dedication. Where does dedication end? You can never put an end to dedication. After all, those who remain Prisoners of War or are still Missing in Action are still serving with never ending dedication. For them, it can never be over. For us, we can never let their sacrifices, or them, be forgotten.
 

January 25, 2021

 

The POW/MIA flag flying in the breeze

 

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced one new identification for a service member who has been missing and unaccounted-for from WWII. Returning home for burial with full military honors is:

-- U.S. Navy Chief Machinist’s Mate Class Lada Smisek, 42, of Cleveland, Ohio, served at the Naval Ammunition Depot and Submarine Base in Cavite, Philippine Islands, when Japanese forces invaded. Intense fighting continued until the surrender of the Bataan peninsula on April 9, 1942, and of Corregidor Island on May 6, 1942. According to prison camp and other historical records, Smisek died Sept. 28, 1942, and was buried along with fellow prisoners in the local Cabanatuan Camp Cemetery, in grave number 437. Smisek will be buried on Jan. 29, 2021, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Read about Smisek.