By Trish Svoboda

Governor Laura Kelly signed a proclamation on August 25, 2023 declaring September 11-15th as Kansas POW/MIA recognition week.

According to the proclamation, there are still 1,188 Kansans unaccounted for in our nation’s wars. 24 from the Vietnam War, 99 from the Korean War, five from the Cold War, and 1,060 from WWII.

The Department of Kansas Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is committed to achieving the fullest possible accounting of all those missing. Family, friends, and fellow veterans of these missing Americans endure uncertainty concerning their fate, and National POW/MIA Recognition Day is a chance to pause to acknowledge the brave Americans who were held in captivity, and those whose fates are unresolved. By recognizing those who served and have not yet returned home, we increase citizen awareness and gather greater support for the missing Americans