When the Viet Nam War ended, 591 Americans were released in Operation Homecoming in 1973. Military experts expressed their dismay that “some hundreds” of POWs did not come home with them. Since 1995, thousands of reports have been received, indicating that many Americans are still alive, and being held against their will in Southeast Asia. Whether or not these men are still there today, remains a mystery. What is certain, however, is that if only one American remains alive in enemy hands, from any war, we owe him our best effort to bring him home.
“A man is not dead until he is forgotten.”
“Never Forget Our POW/MIA’s”
This Christmas tree symbolizes that credo; NEVER FORGET!
The tree is white…symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.
The tree is topped with the POW/MIA logo and encased in a sphere of barbed wire to symbolize the agonizing struggle in our global search for our POW/MIA, to bring them home to American soil, where they belong.
There are 44 dog tags hung with black mourning ribbon to symbolize the 44 North Carolina servicemen still missing from the war in Vietnam; each with their name, date of incident, and their hometown.
There are 44 silver POW/MIA ornaments on the tree…
The matching colored ornaments are from each of the five military services…the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard……each service with their own stories to tell from the war.
The articles of military gear under the tree symbolize emptiness, and they replace the traditional presents because these men are POW/MIA, and not able to spend the holidays at home with their loved ones.
This Christmas tree is brought to you with the love, devotion, and loyalty to our POW/MIA’s!
The Members of Rolling Thunder®, Inc.
Chapter NC-5
Jacksonville, NC
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