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, 1,500 Americans are still missing from the Vietnam War, as well as 7,800 unaccounted for
from the Korean War, 126 from the Cold War, and over 72,000 from World War II, 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
18, 2020, as
POW/MIA Recognition Day
in Washington , and I encourage 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.
Governor Jay Inslee