Desert Messenger is your local connection for news, events, and entertainment!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/16347
S�������� 15, 2010 Friday, Sept. 17th is National POW/MIA Recognition Day POW/MIA Recognition Day honors the commit- ments and the sacrifices made by our nation’s pris- oners of war and those who are still missing in action. By custom, it is on the third Friday in September. National POW/MIA Recognition Day is one of the six days specified by law on which the black POW/ MIA flag shall be flown over federal facilities and cemeteries, post offices and military installations. In 1971, Mrs. Michael Hoff, the wife of a U.S. mili- tary officer listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War, developed the idea for a national flag to remind every American of the U.S. servicemem- bers whose fates were never accounted for during the war. The black and white image of a gaunt silhouette, a strand of barbed wire and an ominous watchtower was designed by Newt Heisley, a former World War II pilot. Some claim the silhouette is a profile of Heis- ley’s son, who contracted hepatitis while training to go to Vietnam. The virus ravaged his body, leaving his features hallow and emaciated. They suggest that while staring at his son’s sunken features, Heisley saw the stark image of American servicemembers held captive under harsh conditions. Using a pencil, he sketched his son’s profile, creating the basis for a symbol that would come to have a powerful impact on the national conscience. By the end of the Vietnam War, more than 2,500 servicemembers were listed by the Department of Defense as Prisoner of War (POW) or Missing in Action (MIA). In 1979, as families of the missing pressed for full accountability, Congress and the president proclaimed the first National POW/MIA Recognition Day to acknowledge the families’ con- cerns and symbolize the steadfast resolve of the American people to never forget the men and wom- en who gave up their freedom protecting ours. Three years later, in 1982, the POW/MIA flag became the only flag other than the Stars and Stripes to fly over the White House in Washington, D.C. On August 10, 1990, Congress passed U.S. Public Law 101-355, designating the POW/MIA flag: “The symbol of our Nation’s concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.” Displaying the POW/MIA Flag Congress designated the third Friday of Septem- ber as National POW/MIA Recognition Day and ordered prominent display of the POW/MIA flag on this day and several other national observances, in- cluding Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day. The 1998 De- fense Authorization Act (P.L. 105-85) mandates that on these national observances, the POW/MIA flag is to be flown over the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Korean and Vietnam Veterans War Memorials, the offices of the Secretaries of State, Defense and Veterans Affairs, offices of the Director of the Selec- tive Service System, every major military installa- tion (as directed by the Secretary of Defense), every YOU HAVEN’T BEEN TO QUARTZSITE! MEXICAN AND AMERICAN FOOD Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner 1099 W. MAIN ST. Quartzsite DAILY SPECIALS! CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED! $1 Tacos thursdays* BIG SCREEN TVS! MARGARITAS - PINA COLADAS - BEER Friday - Fish & Chips Open 7am - 8pm Daily Take Out Orders: 928-927-6282 * thru Sept. Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials! KARAOKE Tues. & Thurs. 8am-noon IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN TO AL’S Famous Gourmet Pizza $1 from every pizza Quartzsite Food Bank needs donations!! Drop off $$ and canned food items Fri & Sat @7pm purchased in October will be donated to Breast Cancer Foundation 10am-noon & 3:30pm-5:30pm Kitchen Open 10am-10pm 2 HAPPY HOURS: $1 DRAFT 175 E. Main St. 928-927-5585 Serving Quartsite at Same Location for over 20 years! X D����� M�������� P��� 15 post office and all Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and national cemeteries. The act also directs VA medical centers to fly the POW/ MIA flag on any day on which the flag of the United States is displayed. When displayed from a single flag pole, the POW/ MIA flag should fly directly below, and be no larger than, the United States flag. If on separate poles, the U.S. flag should always be placed to the right of oth- er flags. On the six national observances for which Congress has ordered display of the POW/ MIA flag, it is generally flown immediately below or adjacent to the United States flag as second in order of pre- cedence. Arizona House Bill 2684 went into effect on July 29, 2010 that requires the POW/MIA flag to be flown along with the U.S. flag at the state Capitol, the building that serves as the location of the supe- rior court in each Arizona county, each Arizona city or town hall and each county’s main administrative building. MOUNTAIN - Daily Specials! - Homecooked Food! - Saturday Night Prime Rib! CALL IN FOR TAKE OUT! QUAIL CAFE Open All Summer! 7am -7pm Closed Monday 490 N. Moon Mt. Rd., Quartzsite (corner of Moon Mt. & Quail Trail) EASY TO FIND: Quail Trail N B-10, Main St. 928-927-8890 Moon Mountain Rd. Hwy. 95, N. Central