MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE — A wreath-laying ceremony to honor and remember prisoners of war and military personnel missing in action was held at Malmstrom Air Force Base on Friday.
The third Friday in September is National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
The ceremony marked the end of a 24-hour memorial run and walk, during which the POW/MIA flag was continuously carried.
Each of the first 23 hours was in honor of someone missing in action. The 24th hour was dedicated to the families of anyone missing in action.
A display with pictures of the 23 service members was set up at the site of the ceremony.
The display also included T-shirts with the names of all 464 service members from Montana missing in action.
"The most important message is that we remember, right? That we honor and we remember the sacrifice of these service members, these heroes, and it's not just these service members. It's their families,” said Technical Sergeant Michael Benoit, one of the event organizers.
There are more than 81,600 service members missing in action from various conflicts. For more information, visit the website of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
