New Capitol memorial honors missing, imprisoned veterans

With BC-CNS-Veterans Tribute-Box

Photos Available (thumbnails, captions below)

By JONATHAN J. COOPER
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX (Monday, Feb. 16) _ With dozens of veterans looking on and two Army National Guard helicopters staging a flyover, a lawmaker dedicated new flagpoles at the Arizona State Capitol on Monday as a tribute to those who have served in the military.

Replacing a solitary _ and bent _ flagpole, the new display has separate poles for the U.S. and Arizona flags and adds a third pole carrying a flag commemorating prisoners of war and those missing in action.

“So many men and women have lost their lives defending this nation; their sacrifice should not be forgotten,” said Rep. Jerry Weiers, R-Glendale.

Weiers spent more than three years raising $30,000 in private donations for the poles and a plaque honoring veterans.

Dozens of veterans riding motorcycles rumbled into the ceremony and parked their bikes on the street in front of the Capitol. They joined other veterans saluting as an honor guard raised the new flag and a trumpeter played “The Star Spangled Banner.”

The new flag is black with white writing that says, “POW-MIA, You are not forgotten.” A man’s profile is silhouetted against an image of a prison.

According to the latest report from the Department of Defense, 1,742 Americans remain unaccounted for following the Vietnam War. The remains of 906 Americans have been repatriated since the Paris Peace Accords ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam in 1973.

The POW-MIA flag is flown at military institutions, veterans hospitals and post offices on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and similar holidays.

Congress in 1990 declared the flag the official symbol of the nation’s commitment to resolving the fate of those missing in Southeast Asia. But Weiers said the Arizona monument honors all veterans, including those who never saw combat.

“They deserve as much honor as anybody else,” he said. “They served their country.”

Dan Frigard, a 59-year-old Phoenix man who brought his 13-year-old granddaughter to the ceremony, said too many people take veterans for granted.

“People tend to forget the sacrifices that they make for our country,” Frigard said. “This is a nice way to remind people.”

“I support all the men and women fighting for freedom,” said Danita Jones, a 42-year-old Glendale woman who rode her motorcycle with the American Legion Riders. “I love the fact that I get to live in this great land and not have anything to worry about.”

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PHOTOS: Click thumbnails to see full-resolution images and download; caption information is in the file under File>File Info.

CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-VETERANS TRIBUTE: Members of an honor guard of Korean War veterans raise the POW-MIA flag on Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, at a ceremony dedicating new flagpoles and a plaque honoring veterans at the Arizona State Capitol. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper)

CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-VETERANS TRIBUTE: Dan Frigard of Phoenix and his granddaughter Gabrielle Ingram attend a ceremony Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, dedicating new flagpoles and a veterans tribute at the Arizona State Capitol. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper)