Proclamation
WHEREAS, more than 217,000 Americans have been confined by enemies of the
United States during the last one hundred years, with many enduring brutal and inhumane
treatment by their captors in violation of international law; and
WHEREAS, 1,019 Americans are still missing from the Vietnam War, as well as
7,821 unaccounted for from the Korean War, 126 from the Cold War, and over 73,000
from WWII, though thousands are unrecoverable deep-sea losses; and
WHEREAS, families and friends of these missing Americans, as well as their
fellow veterans, endure uncertainty concerning their fate; and
WHEREAS, as a nation founded on the principles of civil rights and justice, we
have a moral obligation to continue to make every effort to ascertain the truth about these
Americans;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jay Inslee, Governor of the state of Washington, do
hereby proclaim September 16, 2016 as
POW/MIA Recognition Day
in Washington, and I urge all people in our state to join me in honoring the bravery and
perseverance of former prisoners of war, those still missing, and their families.
Signed this 4th day of August, 2016
Governor Jay Inslee