UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State will hold its annual Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Vigil at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, to honor military service members who never returned home.
This event, held on POW/MIA Recognition Day, is organized by the Penn State Air Force ROTC and has been a tradition spanning more than 40 years. This year, it will be hosted on the Old Main Lawn at the University Park campus and is open to the public. Military veterans and their families are especially encouraged to attend.
The vigil will feature a "missing man" table ceremony, a symbolic tribute to those service members who did not return or are not accounted for. Beginning at 4 p.m., Honor Guards and ROTC cadets will stand over the table for 24 hours, concluding the event on Sept. 20.
“We will continue to remember, respect and revere the long-standing bravery of these heroes, while also advocating for their safe return home after so many years,” said Col. Brady Lim, Penn State Air Force ROTC Cadet Wing commander.
Additional elements of the ceremony will include a bagpipe performance of “Taps” and the national anthem sung by the Wild Blue Yonders. Cadets from each joint service branch will serve as guest speakers, and remarks will be given by Rusty Hodak, a Penn State alumnus and the great-nephew of Cpl. Glenn H. Hodak. Glenn H. Hodak was a tail gunner in the U.S. Army Air Corps who was taken as a prisoner of war during World War II and remained missing for nearly 80 years.
The American Legion also will perform a 21-gun salute shortly after the remembrance ceremony at 4 p.m. Members of the Penn State community are reminded to not be alarmed at the sound of the salute being performed.
“POW/MIA Recognition Day is about the unwavering commitment to identifying all American military service members who have been lost or unaccounted for overseas,” said Eugene McFeely, Penn State’s senior director for Veterans’ Affairs and Services and chair of the University's Military Appreciation Committee. “These prisoners of war and those missing in action will be forever honored for their sacrifice and selfless duty to our great nation.”
With the first POW/MIA vigil organized by Penn State veterans who served during the Vietnam War, the University remains dedicated to supporting the men and women of the military by offering resources to help them succeed academically and professionally.
This year’s Military Appreciation Week will commemorate Medal of Honor recipients and involve a series of campus events, including the Military Appreciation football game on Nov. 8. To learn more, visit militaryappreciation.psu.edu.