THE WALL OF FACES

The Department of Defense conducted ceremonies at the Pentagon and at Hickam AFB on Friday, 18 September 2020 in commemoration 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. Lieutenant Colonel John Wayne Held, USNA Class of 1958, USAF, is one of those 1,586 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is the only man in his U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis class of 1958 who is still MIA. As of the date of this ceremony, there are 55 USNA graduates still MIA in Southeast Asia (SEA) from the Vietnam War. They account for 32% of the 169 men from Annapolis who made the ultimate sacrifice in SEA during the Vietnam War.

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/

Lieutenant Colonel John Wayne Held, Served with the 604th Air Commando Squadron, 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, 7th Air Force.

Still wearing your POW bracelet. I am now 65, retired USAF, and have had it on since I was 17. Thank you for your service and know you are not forgotten.

I also had Major John Held’s name on my POW bracelet. I’m almost 62 and have never forgotten his name. I did see his name on the Vietnam Wall in D.C. years ago. I got a scratching of his name. It was such a tearful experience for me. For some reason I thought of him in the middle of the night & googled his name. I had never seen him, just had his name in my heart. Tears now, seeing his face. Thank you Major John Held for your sacrifice. God Bless you and all that have served our wonderful country.

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. Lieutenant Colonel John Wayne Held, USNA Class of 1958, is one of those 1,587 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is the only graduate from his U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis class who is still MIA.

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