POW Bracelet




In 1970, long before the Vietnam War ended, Americans were introduced to the first bracelets bearing the name, rank and incident date of an American serviceman who were listed as a Prisoner of War or Missing in Action.

These bracelets were the brainchild of former congressman Robert K. "Bob" Dornan of California. Mr. Dornan, a former Air Force fighter pilot, had a good friend who was a confirmed prisoner who had been captured in Laos by communist Pathet Lao forces. Colonel David Hrdlicke was a well documented POW being held in the massive cave complex near Sam Neus, Laos.

During a meeting of POW/MIA family members and concerned citizens in California, Bob Dornan put forward an idea to modify the Montagnard friendship bracelet to one bearing the name of a missing American that could be used to publicize the plight of the Prisoners of War and Missing in Action. Representatives of VIVA (Voices in Vital America), an early POW/MIA organization located in Los Angeles, California, saw the benefit in Bob Dornan’s idea. They arranged for the bracelets to be produced and agreed to handle the distribution of them.

The American public, hungry for a way to demonstrate their unwavering support for the prisoners and missing, found the bracelets an ideal way to recognize, honor and support them. Meanwhile, word of these bracelets and the message they conveyed, circulated throughout the prison camps of Southeast Asia as new prisoners entered the system. In a few cases, new prisoners met men in captivity whose POW/MIA bracelet they wore.

By the time the Paris Peace Accords were signed on 27 January 1973, over five million bracelets were being worn by Americans all over the world. These bracelets, with the name of the man starkly engraved into the band, inexplicably bound the wearer to the man in a way no one could have foreseen. In many cases, the bond that formed between the wearer and the missing man or woman was stronger and more enduring than blood ties.

Since the first POW/MIA bracelets were introduced over 27 years ago, they have evolved into a symbol of the POW/MIA issue in general, and the men and women they represent in particular. Like the POW/MIA flag, the bracelets are a visible sign to everyone who sees them that this issue is not going to go away until we have a full, fair and real accounting for our fellow countrymen and women.

The bracelets are now found in a variety of materials, styles and colors. Some even have the missing man’s picture on it. And like the POW/MIA flag, the bracelets have expanded to represent anyone from any time frame who vanished in a war or conflict. There are bracelets available for men missing in World War II, the Korean War and the Persian Gulf War as well as in the Vietnam War. There are also "In Memory" bracelets available for those men and women who were killed and whose remains have been returned so that each one can continue to be honored in a similar, yet different, way.

Above and beyond all else, these bracelets convey the history and importance of the POW/MIA issue to the American people on a one-to-one ratio.



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