Virginia woman honors her father who went missing in Vietnam War | 7Salutes
This country has endured, thanks to the bravery of millions of servicemembers over the years, and many of them were never seen or heard from again. So, that's why every third Friday in September, we observe National POW/MIA Recognition Day, to honor prisoners of war and those who never returned.
The Defense Department said more than 80,000 American servicemembers are still missing from previous conflicts. Out of that, they estimate 38,000 of them are still recoverable.
A special ceremony is being held to welcome some of them home.
Colleen Shine was only eight years old when she waved "goodbye" to her father from the tarmac, not knowing it would be the last time she'd see him alive.
"It was deeply difficult. I knew what war was, I knew what death was," said Colleen.
Her father, Lt. Colonel Anthony Shine was an accomplished fighter pilot. In December 1972, he was on a bombing run in Laos when he descended in cloud cover and never reappeared.
"My mom didn't know if she was a wife or a widow, we didn't know if he was ever coming home," Colleen recalled.
Colleen eventually grew up and started a life, always wondering what happened to her dad.
"We had a lot of hope, but no answers," said Colleen.
Colleen never had a grave to visit to pay homage to her father but she did have the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at the Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu. There you could find the Courts of the Missing, which lists the names of more than 28,000 servicemembers missing in action or lost at sea.
"I didn't have a grave to go to if I wanted to pay tribute to my dad, I didn't know if he was alive or not and the Courts of the Missing at the Punch Bowl bore his name and paid tribute to his service and our family's sacrifice," said Colleen.
It took time but eventually Colleen found her dad. In the 90s, she learned crews found a crash site on a mountain, so she flew to Vietnam to help in the search and discovered a helmet with his name in it.
"I still don't know exactly what happened to him but I now have the peace of mind and heart in knowing his fate. I know he died doing something he loved and something he believed in," said Colleen.
And this year on this National POW/MIA Recognition Day, Colleen is returning to the Courts of the Missing. She'll join dozens of families honoring more than 950 veterans who were lost and have now been found. They're placing bronze rosettes next to their loved one's names.
The American Battle Monuments Commission manages the cemetery and said this is a solemn ceremony to celebrate their memory and to send a message.
"This ceremony is a statement of our nation that we will never stop looking for you until you are found, until every one of our missing in action is found, in one form or fashion, is brought home, no matter how long it takes," said AMBC Secretary Charles Djou.
"They are accounted for. Answers are possible, they're important and they are happening," said Colleen.
The work continues until every one of these names is accounted for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is in charge of searching for these missing servicemembers. Right now, they have teams hard at work all over the world.
