May 25, 2023 | Press Release
WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) introduced the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum Act. This bipartisan legislation will designate the POW/MIA Memorial and Museum at Cecil Field to serve as a national landmark to honor, connect, inspire, and educate the American people about members of the Armed Forces who were held as prisoners of war (POWs) and those who became missing in action (MIA) in our nation’s conflicts.
Original cosponsors of the bill include Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Andre Carson (IN-07), John Rutherford (FL-05), Michael Waltz (FL-06), Neal Dunn (FL-02), Daniel Webster (FL-11), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Scott Franklin (FL-18), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Alex Mooney (WV-02), Bill Posey (FL-08), and Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26).
“America’s POW-MIAs should never be forgotten. These patriots deserve a special place of honor because of their selfless dedication, unmatched valor, and unsurpassed devotion to our nation’s values. This memorial will give Americans a unique opportunity to honor the immense sacrifice made by our POWs and serve as a powerful reminder of the service members whose fates are still unknown,” said Congressman Bean.
“We appreciate Representative Bean’s support and thank him for introducing this much-needed bipartisan resolution which authorizes the title of “national” for the POW/MIA Memorial and Museum in Jacksonville. When completed, it will attract visitors from across our nation and be a place to learn about and remember the over 80,000 of those still missing and unaccounted for from World War II to the present,” said Sam Houston, Chairman of the Board Cecil Field POW/MIA Memorial, Inc.
Background
The National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum has received support from the National League of POW/MIA Families, Rolling Thunder National, National Naval Aviation Museum, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, City of Jacksonville along with a number of corporate and private donors. According to the Department of Defense, there are more than 142,000 service members who have been captured as prisoners of war and more than 81,000 service members listed as missing and still unaccounted for from the outset of World War II.
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