Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and his Veterans Advisory Council will host an official POW-MIA ceremony, as part of National POW-MIA Recognition Day, to honor United States military prisoners of war and those still missing in action on September 18.
The event, presented by Lockheed Martin, will start at 10 a.m. in the City Hall Rotunda and is open to residents.
Cadets from AFROTC Detachment 159 from UCF will lead a symbolic “setting of the table” where each item on the table represents the commitment we have to honor our POW-MIAs from our five military branches: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy.
Captain Robert Apodaca, USAF, Retired will serve as the featured guest speaker, remembering his father, Major Victor Apodaca. Major Victor Apodaca was listed as missing in action for nearly 35 years after his F-4C fighter jet was shot down in North Vietnam in 1967. His remains were returned home in 2001.
In 1971, Mrs. Mary Hoff, an MIA wife, developed the idea for a national flag to remind every American of the U.S service members whose fates were never accounted for during the war. On August 10, 1990 Congress designated the third Friday of September as National POW-MIA Recognition Day and ordered prominent display of the POW-MIA flag on this day and several other national observances.
