POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday of September. The terms POW and MIA mean prisoner of war and military personnel who went missing in action. This recognition day is observed to recommit to full accountability to the families of the more than 80,000 veterans captured or still missing from wars in which the United States has participated. The day was first observed in 1979 after Congress and the President passed a resolution to make it official following the demands of the families of 2,500 Vietnam war POW/MIAs who asked for accountability in finding their loved ones. According to accounts, during the first ceremony of POW/MIA Day at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., fighter airplanes from the military base in Virginia flew in the “missing man formation” to honor their missing comrades. Since then, the official observance has been held at the Pentagon, with other celebrations happening at military bases and elsewhere around the country.
