View allAll Photos Tagged Pow
The National League of Families POW*MIA flag, often referred to as the POW*MIA flag, was adopted in 1972. In 2019, the National POW*MIA Flag Act was signed into law, requiring the POW*MIA flag to be flown on certain federal building, including the US Capitol Building, on all days the US flag is flown.
The flag symbolizes support and care for the soldiers, airmen, and sailors who served the United States in the Vietnam War, especially those who endured capture by the enemy.
The original design for the flag was created in 1971 by Newt Heisley. It consists of a silhouette of a POW before a guard tower and barbed wire in white on a black background. 'POW*MIA' appears above the silhouette and the words 'YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN' appear below in white.
The idea for the flag came from Mary Hoff, a member of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, and the wife of US Navy Lt. Commander Michael Hoff, a serviceman missing in action.
When displayed from a single flagpole, the POW*MIA flag should fly directly below, and be no larger than, the US flag. If on separate poles, the U.S. flag should always be placed to the right of other flags. The POW/MIA flag is generally flown as second in order of precedence.
In the US Armed Forces dining and mess halls a single table and chair in a corner is draped with the flag as a symbol for the missing, thus reserving a chair in hopes of their return.
Newton Foust "Newt" Heisley (November 9, 1920 – May 14, 2009) was an American commercial artist who was responsible for the design of the POW/MIA flag for the National League of Families, which was officially recognized by the United States Congress in relation to the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue "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 for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation" He was from PA. Howard County VVA reunion.
By Jaque Fragua. POW! WOW! takes place during Valentine’s Day week in February in the Kaka’ako district of Honolulu, and brings over a hundred international and local artist together to create murals and other forms of art.
I planted this unimpressive looking Chilean guava 'Ka-pow' Myrtus ugni today. I bought it online from Suttons, who say they look like blueberries and taste like wild strawberries and that they don't need a lot of aftercare. They even come with sweetly scented, powder pink lily-of-the-valley type flowers. I doubt if it will bear fruit this summer but I'm hoping for endless bumper harvests over the years to come.
Hans Albert Kluthe (1904-1970) had been a leader of the pre-war Reichsbund der Deutschen Demokratischen Jugend (German League of Young Democrats) and was accordingly targetted by the Nazis after their rise to power in 1933. In 1936 he fled to England and was able to earn a living from teaching refugee children and producing and distributing a magazine for his fellow expatriates, “Das Wahre Deutschland”. After the War he became active in the Liberal International and, in addition to lecturing, edited a digest of articles for distribution in the POW camps.
Mr Kluthe's “German Youth and the Future” lecture was delivered to approximately 150 POWs at the main camp and each of the 4 remaining hostels - Garswood, Penketh (“has now only 44 inmates”), Golborne and Bury. Observing that “This lecture, given in plain language, found great appreciation among the listeners...”, the official report of the visit is signed by acting-commandant Major (RA) John Paterson.
More interesting, perhaps, are Mr Kluthe's observations on camp life in general and the relative impact of POW fraternization with the local civilian population. Until December 1946 German POWs had been prohibited from fraternising with civilians “except in so far as may be strictly necessary for the efficient performance of the work allotted to them”. Only “near relatives and the representatives of accredited societies and organisations” were allowed to visit the camps. On 10 December 1946 Secretary of State for War Frederick Bellenger informed the Commons that “Arrangements are being made to allow well-conducted prisoners of war to take unescorted walks within a radius of five miles of their camp or billet until lighting-up time, to converse with members of the public, and, subject to permission from their commandant, to accept invitations to private houses within the five mile radius”.* An immediate consequence of the greater freedom allowed to POWs was that voluntary participation in on-camp activities reduced considerably. The prisoners quickly discovered other antidotes to the boredom of captivity which were far more effective than any number of political discussions or lectures, as Hans Kluthe writes:
“I was surprised to find such a good camp in one of the dreariest and most depressing regions of England. This has various reasons. The most important is perhaps that none of the British officers here indulges in that petty nagging which all too often poisons the atmosphere of a whole camp. Of equal importance is the friendliness of the people of Lancashire with whom the Ps/W have many contacts. This has created a pro-British feeling which, unfortunately, is not found very often these days. There is also a good number of intelligent and politically sound people, well spread over the Hostels. I often heard the sarcastic remark that things had vastly improved after the repatriation of the 'A' men.
Attendance (except at Penketh Hostel) was shockingly bad. This was largely due to the fine weather and to the many outside contacts the Ps/W have. Can one blame a P/W who prefers to walk with a girl in the open air to listening to a lecture in a stuffy room on a lovely summer evening? [At Golborne] most Ps/W had gone to a football match against a British team...
During the summer, it will probably be the rule that lecturers can only reach a relatively small elite in most camps. But it seems important to keep their interest alive and to supply them with facts and ideas. In spite of the disappointing attendance, I feel that my visit was worthwhile and was appreciated by those who listened to me...”.
Soon after his visit to Camp 50 Mr Kluthe was given permission to settle in West Germany. He eventually became one of that country's leading newspaper and magazine publishers.
*House of Commons Official Report 19.3.1946 col 336W, 30.7.1946 col 149W and 10.12.1946 cols 967-8). At Ashton-in-Makerfield, church-goers were asked to invite POWs into their homes over the Christmas period. Bert Trautmann and Camp 50 dentist Egon Rameil spent Christmas Day 1946 with “a family [the Bensons] who lived just down the road from Garswood Park”.
Document images from the originals at National Archives ref. FO 939/300 “Reports on Camp Lectures: 50 Working Camp, Garswood Park, Ashton in Makerfield, Lancashire”. The photograph is from Mr Kluthe's application for an entry permit to the American-occupied zone of Germany in 1948.