Posted 1:17 PM 9/21/2012 : Prisoners of War honored and remembered
TUCSON-The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System hosted an event for our nation's heroes and their families in honor of Prisoners of War and Mission in Action Recognition Day.
A missing man's table was the focal point of the ceremony.
The empty chair, lit candle, and rose represented a man not there-- a man still missing in action.
Veterans said those known as MIA's or POW's are known to them as their brothers who lived in fear, pain and anguish during the war to make the path for our freedom.
"We are the first to know the horrors of war and not to want war, and I've learned through my study of history and since I've been a prisoner of war, is that the most important thing for our country to do is to remain so strong that no one will ever pick on us," said Lew Sleeper.
Over 90 thousand Americans have been lost and never recovered since World War I.
Four A-10 attack aircrafts flew overhead after the ceremony in memory of those still missing in action.
"It's a great honor to be able to come together as a community and be able to say let's remember," said David Alegria with the military order of the purple heart.
This is an event that's held annually either here at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System or at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.