Governor Kristi Noem has recognized September 20, 2024, as “POW/MIA Recognition Day to remember and honor the returned U.S. Prisoners of War (POWs) and all Americans still captured, unaccounted for, or Missing in Action MIA).   

“Our commitment to the men and women who served our nation honorably is as strong today as it was when they answered the call to duty,” said Greg Whitlock, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs.

“There are still hundreds of South Dakotans who are still missing,” continued Whitlock.   “Their families, friends, and communities all live with uncertainty regarding their fate.   We must ensure that the search for those missing will continue.”  

Currently, South Dakota has seven veterans still missing from the Vietnam War, 34 unaccounted for from the Korean War, and 310 from World War II.  

“In their service to our country, former prisoners of war and those missing in action have sacrificed mightily to maintain the promise of liberty that we hold dear. POW/MIA Recognition Day gives us all a great opportunity to reaffirm our vow to never forget the courage of our nation’s staunchest defenders – our POWs and MIAs. They led lives of great consequence,” concluded Whitlock.