On Saturday, May 11 the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of Nassau County held their Annual POW/MIA Remembrance Ceremony at St. Frances de Chantal Parish in Wantagh. This is the 15th year for the ceremony, originally started by the late Tom Benet and the late Vincent Esposito as a way to honor those military brethren who are still listed as prisoners of war (POW), or missing in action (MIA).
Rick Gales, Town of Hempstead Veteran Affairs liaison, quartermaster of the Elmont VFW, and Nassau County Chairman of the POW/MIA Committee continues the tradition and told Anton Newspapers that the POW/MIA ceremonies are usually held in April or May, coinciding with the fall of Vietnam and the end of a war era.
In 2010, the Department of Defense reported more than 1,700 Vietnam era soldiers as POW/MIA status.
