THE WALL OF FACES

The Department of Defense conducted ceremonies at the Pentagon and at Hickam AFB on Friday, 18 September 2020 in recognition of POW/MIA Recognition Day. Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Nordquist remembered the 1,586 MIAs from the Vietnam War as well as all those still unaccounted for from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and other conflicts. Director (Maj. Gen, USAFR, ret) Kelly McKeague of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) also recorded a separate video message to Gold Star MIA families. Additionally, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) produced a “virtual” event on 18 Sep. Since the 2019 Ceremony, DPAA has positively identified 1 Vietnam War MIA. Colonel John William "Jack" Armstrong, USMA Class of 1949, is one of those 1,586 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is also one of 10 graduates from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who is still MIA. The other 9 USMA MIAs (rank, name & class) are: (1) Col. Wallace Hynds (1945); (2) Col. Herbert Brennan (1947); (3) Maj. Carl Mitchell (1950); (4) Col. Joseph Austin (1952); (5) Col. Lawrence Tatum (1953); (6) Col. Robert Stewart (1956); (7) CPT H.R. "Rocky" Versace (1959); (8) Capt. James Dawson (1963); & (9) MAJ James “Cliff” McKittrick (1964).

This is the link to the DoD/DVIDS video for the Pentagon ceremony:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/766486/defense-officials-recognize-prisoners-war-missing-service-members-ceremony

This is the link to the DoD/DVIDS video for the Hickam AFB ceremony:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/766491/admiral-commemorates-prisoners-war-and-missing-service-members-ceremony

This is the link to DPAA Director McKeague’s video statement:
https://vimeo.com/454474340

This is the link to the VVMF virtual remembrance: https://www.vvmf.org/POWMIA-2020/

Information about MIA Colonel John William Armstrong, USMA Class of 1949, USAF, from the POW Network website is at this link:

https://www.pownetwork.org/bios/a/a024.htm

Information about MIA Colonel John William Armstrong, USMA Class of 1949, USAF, from the Task Force Omega website is at this link:

http://taskforceomegainc.org/a024.htm

I just wanted to let you know that Col. John W. Armstrong is not forgotten. His bracelet sits on my desk at home,and there it shall stay.

The Department of Defense conducted a ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday, 20 September 2019 in recognition of POW/MIA Recognition Day. Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Nordquist remembered the 1,587 MIAs from the Vietnam War as well as all those still unaccounted for from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and other conflicts. Since the 2018 Ceremony, DPAA has positively identified 7 Vietnam War MIAs. Colonel John William Armstrong., USMA Class of 1949, is one of those 1,587 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is also one of 10 graduates from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who is still MIA. The other 9 USMA MIAs (rank, name & class) are: (1) Col Wallace Hynds (1945); (2) Col Herbert Brennan (1947); (3) Maj Carl Mitchell (1950); (4) Col Joseph Austin (1952); (5) Col Lawrence Tatum (1953); (6) Col Robert Stewart (1956); (7) CPT Humbert “Rocky” Versace (1959); (8) Capt James Dawson (1963); & (9) MAJ James “Cliff” McKittrick (1964).

This is the link to the DoD story about the ceremony:

https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/1967474/prisoners-of-war-missing-in-action-remembered-at-pentagon-ceremony/

This is the link to the C-Span video of the ceremony:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?464524-1/pentagon-hosts-national-powmia-recognition-day-ceremony