POW/MIA REFLECTION POND

Ohio Veterans Memorial Park

The Ohio Veterans’ Memorial Park dedicated the POW/MIA Reflection Pond and Eternal Flame on November 13th, 2010. The fifty foot wide by eight foot tall black granite wall was added in May 2013. The shape of the wall was chosen as a tribute to our national memorial. The stone for the wall was quarried from the same location.

The Memorial and HISTORY of the POW/MIA Flag

The remainder of the pond is complete except for benches and memorial pavers that will be installed in honor of those who have been a prisoner of war or who are still missing in action.

The POW/MIA Reflection Pond and Eternal Flame is the first of several monuments that are planned for the east side of the park. The pond sits to the south of The Ohio Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

This monument is made up of a large sitting area that will be surrounded by benches, a four tier waterfall, a walkway, a fifty foot wide pond, a black granite POW/MIA monument, an inverted Vietnam War helmet with the eternal flame and a cast steel POW/MIA seal generously donated by Rolling Thunder.

To the right of the entrance to the pond is a large black granite marker (made of the granite originally ordered for the Ohio Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall) with an excerpt of the history of the POW / MIA flag.

Currently (as of 12/20/10) there are 77 men from The State Of Ohio that are unaccounted for, just from the Vietnam War. There are thousands more from Korea, WW II, WW I and all of the other wars that we have contributed to. The federal government and several universities have set up organizations that are working tirelessly to locate, identify and return these brave heroes. We intend to keep the eternal flame lit UNTIL THEY ALL COME HOME.

For more information concerning our POW/MIAs please visit the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website.
http://www.dpaa.mil/

In 1971, Mrs. Michael Hoff, an MIA wife and member of the National League of Families, recognized the need for a symbol of our POW/MIAs. Prompted by an article in the Jacksonville, Florida, TIMES-UNION, Mrs. Hoff contacted Norman Rivkees, Vice President of Annin & Company which had made a banner for the newest member of the United Nations. Mrs. Hoff found Mr. Rivkees very sympathetic to the POW/MIA issue, and he and an Annin advertising agency employee, designed a flag to represent our missing men. Following League approval, the flags were manufactured for distribution.

On March 9, 1989, an official League flag that flew over the White House on National POW/MIA Recognition Day 1988 was installed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda as a result of legislation passed overwhelmingly during the 100th Congress. The League’s POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda where it will stand as a powerful symbol of national commitment to America’s POW/MIAs until the fullest possible accounting has been achieved for U.S. personnel still missing and unaccounted for.

On August 10, 1990, the 101st Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, which recognized the League’s POW/MIA flag and designated it “as the symbol of our Nation’s concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted.

The importance of the League’s POW/MIA flag lies in its continued visibility, a constant reminder of the plight of America’s POW/MIAs. Other than “Old Glory”, the League’s POW/MIA flag is the only flag ever to fly over the White House, having been displayed in this place of honor on National POW/MIA Recognition Day since 1982.

The POW/MIA Flag Is Required To Fly By Law Over...

The White House, The U.S. Capitol, Department Of State, Department Of Defense, Department Of Veterans Affairs, The Selective Service System, Major Military Installations, Federal Cemeteries, All U.S. Postal Offices, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, The WW II Memorial.

When should you fly the POW/MIA Flag?

Many state capitols, organizations, schools, cities and individuals choose to fly the POW / MIA flag year round. However, the Defense Authorization Act of 1998 requires that the flag be flown on six specific days each year. Armed Forces Day – Third Saturday in May, Memorial Day – Last Monday in May, Flag Day – June 14th, Independence Day – July 4th, National POW/MIA Recognition Day – Third Friday in September, Veterans Day – November 11th.