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. Major Dennis Gerard Pugh, USAFA Class of 1967, is one of those 1,586 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is also one of 6 graduates from the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs class of 1967 who is still MIA. The other 5 USAFA Class of 1967 MIAs (rank & name) are: (1) Maj. John Albright; (2) Maj. Morgan Donahue; (3) Capt. Charles Hoskins; (4) Maj. Donald Shay; & (5) Capt. James Steadman. There are a total of 41 USAFA graduates still MIA in SEA from the Vietnam War. The 41 USAFA MIAs account for 27% of the 151 graduates who made the ultimate sacrifice in Southeast Asia from 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 the 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 the military service of MIA Major Dennis Gerard Pugh, USAFA Class of 1967, whose name is on the U.S. Air Force Academy Association of Graduates Memorial Wall which includes those USAFA graduates who died or are MIA in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, from the U.S. Air Force Academy Library is at this link/URL:

http://memwall.usafalibrary.com/#memwallhomepage

Then search, alphabetically, for the name of Dennis Pugh, USAFA Class of 1967, to access additional information about this Vietnam War MIA. This link/URL is applicable to ALL graduates on the USAFA AoG Memorial Wall.

Information about the shoot-down of an F-4D Phantom jet aircraft from the 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron on which MIA 1st Lt Dennis Gerard Pugh, USAFA Class of 1967, was the navigator, in Southeast Asia (SEA) (over Laos) on 19 March 1970 is available at this link/URL on the Vietnam Air Losses website:

https://vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2510

While in MIA status, the U.S. Air Force promoted 1st Lt Pugh to Captain and then to Major along with his Air Force Academy classmates. The pilot/his fellow crewman in the F-4 Phantom (Capt. W.A. Rash) was rescued.

N.B. that ABMC lists Dennis Pugh as a Captain.

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) recently updated the link/URL on its website for MIA Major Dennis Gerard Pugh, USAFA class of 1967, at the Honolulu Memorial (Court "A") in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the "Punchbowl") on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii.

The updated link/URL is:
https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/pugh%3Ddennis

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. Major Dennis Gerard Pugh, USAFA Class of 1967, is one of those 1,587 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is also one of 6 graduates from the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs class of 1967 who is still MIA. The other 5 USAFA Class of 1967 MIAs (rank & name) are: (1) Capt. John Albright; (2) Maj. Morgan Donahue; (3) Capt. Charles Hoskins; (4) Maj. Donald Shay; & (5) Capt. James Steadman.

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