All those who fought and served their country when they received the call, were men and women of courage, judgment, integrity and dedication. Where does dedication end? You can never put an end to dedication. After all, those who remain Prisoners of War or are still Missing in Action are still serving with never ending dedication. For them, it can never be over. For us, we can never let their sacrifices, or them, be forgotten.

 

A core pillar of the VFW’s mission is advocating for the fullest possible accounting of all American Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) service members. The organization exerts political pressure on Congress to ensure full funding for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), the federal body tasked with searching for, recovering, and identifying the remains of missing personnel from past conflicts.   In addition to legislative advocacy, VFW posts honor missing service members locally through ceremonial traditions, such as setting up the symbolic "Missing Man Table" at formal events and flying the POW/MIA flag.  Beyond national policy, the VFW also engages directly in veteran-to-veteran diplomacy, sharing archival records and field intelligence with foreign nations to help pinpoint recovery sites and bring fallen military personnel home to their families.