VietNow National Magazine

POW/MIA
Our Favorite POW/MIA Flags

POW Flag in Iraq
Submitted by SSG Mark Stach – Bravo Blackhawks
B/2-106 Cavalry – Dixon, Illinois

The POW/MIA flag was donated to our unit by the Rock River Chapter of VietNow. Shown here are SPC Kibodeaux, SSG Jensen, and SGT Stach, taking a break during a patrol west of Baghdad. We served with F Btry, 202 ADA.

The Flag Flies in Puerto Rico
Submitted by Freddy Feliciano – Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Task Force 116 – River Patrol – Vietnam

I'm a Vietnam combat veteran (Tet Offensive 1968). This flag is on the roof of my home, flying all year round for all veterans – but especially for my buddies who did not make it home.
This is a tribute to those real heroes who are still missing, and for all those mothers, fathers, spouses, and children who are still waiting for their relatives to come home. This POW/MIA flag will be flying until the last warrior gets his way back home.

POW/MIA Flag in Prison
Submitted by Francis Smith – Menard, Illinois – USMC 1971-1972

Greetings! I’m a VietNow member, incarcerated here in Illinois at the Menard Correctional Center, a max facility. I saw your article on flag etiquette and the POW/MIA flag at a prison. I want to inform you that, just as in Oregon State Prison, we also have a POW/MIA flag within our walls. Three flags on one pole – U.S flag, state flag, and POW/MIA flag! If you remember the Oregon State Prison article, they think only their prison has two flags (on two poles) within their walls – I’m not sure what category that puts us in.
As far as flag etiquette goes, are our flags in the proper order? Is it correct to fly them all on one pole?
Editor’s note: Thanks for letting us know about your POW/MIA flag there at Menard. That’s good to know. In regard to your question about flag etiquette, the answer seems to be yes. The most authoritative answer we found came from a question/ answer forum on www.usa-flag-site.org. According to the moderator there, it is OK to fly those three flags on the same pole, and the order should be (from top to bottom) U.S. flag, state flag, and POW/MIA (or other) flag. Looks like you’re doing everything right.

Mark Harmon – Salina, Kansas
Story and photo by Mary Jane Kiepe
American Gold Star Mother – Festus, Missouri

It was a very warm day in Salina, Kansas. My husband and I had decided to spend a week visiting our daughter and her family. My daughter Kelly planned to have a huge yard sale along with many neighbors in her subdivision. We awoke at 6 a.m., put out tables, and began to get customers at 7.
My husband, Glenn, and I took a break and walked several blocks, stopping at sales and talking to people along the way. We walked the street of Pineridge, and I spotted an American flag flying on a pole about 25 feet high, along with a POW/MIA flag. As we approached the driveway, I saw a gentleman and two ladies nearby. They also had items for sale. I asked the gentleman, who I found was named Mike Harmon, about the flags he was flying. I asked him why he was flying that particular flag, the POW/MIA flag. He told me that he was a Vietnam veteran, and that he flew it for all veterans, for his buddies that did not come home, and because he was fortunate to make it back home.
I shook his hand and thanked him for his service. I may have startled him at first, but I told him about how much the Vietnam veterans mean to the Gold Star Mothers, and that I would like to send an article about his flag to VietNow. He handed me his business card, and I left his yard feeling so proud of another Vietnam veteran family.
It was the same weekend that 400 motorcycles from “Run for the Wall” gathered in Thomas Park, in Salina, on their way to Washington, DC.
Mike Harmon served in the Marine Corps from May, 1968, to November, 1970.

POW/MIA Flag Behind Prison Walls
Bill Gonyer, President – Oregon State Prison Veterans Association

These two flags have been flying inside the walls here at Oregon State Prison for almost three years. Getting these flags up was not an easy project by any means. It took a lot of paperwork and a tremendous effort by every member of the Veterans Association, and a few staff who are veterans first before becoming guards.
Incarcerated veterans who make less than $40 a month on average, paid for the cost of the whole project. Raising more than $2,000 was a giving of the heart as much as of the pocket. But as always, true veterans will always come through when asked. It’s that old code, “Veterans Helping Veterans.”
We’ve had a few people who are outside the walls check, and have been told that we are the only prison in the U.S. flying both the U.S. and the POW/MIA flags inside their walls. With that in mind, it gives the veterans here who are incarcerated a lot of pride in this accomplishment.
We would like to thank James Fuller here at Oregon State Prison for his persistence and follow through in getting this article and pictures done for your magazine.
Remember that we were veterans before we were inmates, and our
dedication and honor has not wavered in the least.

The Bill Watt Memorial
Lake LaDonna – Oregon, Illinois
Submitted by Robert Covarrubias, Berwyn-Cicero Chapter of VietNow

I am a member and Director of the Berwyn-Cicero Chapter of VietNow. My wife, Doris, is the Vice President, and we are both former Marines. We have been members of VietNow since 1989.
VietNow has had a big impact on our lives, as well as my family, in many ways. For the last 18 years we have made a lot of good friends. In our chapter alone, it is such a feeling of family and friendship. VietNow is like an extended family. But, sadly enough, we also have good friends that have passed away, and when that happens, things feel so final. All you have is memories and pictures.

So, two years ago, Doris and I decided to do something about that. We have a site at Lake LaDonna, 96 miles west of Chicago. Lake LaDonna is a private lake, owned by Lamont Gaston, also a former Marine, and a former National President of VietNow.
We have a nice site there, and decided to build a monument dedicated to our fallen friends and loved ones. It turned out really nice. We call it the Bill Watt Memorial, and on it you will find dog tags with our loves ones’ names. When one of our loved ones leaves us, their name will be added. This way we can feel close to them.
I want to thank Bill Watt’s sons for being present at the dedication this past Veterans Reunion Weekend, and to all the chapters that were represented. I want to say a special thanks to our National President, Rich Sanders, and his wife, Mary, who were also present. That’s where my POW/MIA flag flies.
If you are ever in the Oregon, Illinois, area, stop in at Lake Ladonna, and see our memorial. Our site is #227. Semper Fi.

The Fair Haven POW/MIA Monument
Fair Haven, Vermont
Submitted by Donald C. Amorosi – President, Northeast POW/MIA Network

The Northeast POW/MIA Network began a weekly POW/MIA vigil in Fair Haven, Vermont, in August, 1993. The vigil, held in Veterans Memorial Park, was initiated in an attempt to provide a visual component to our advocacy and activism, and reach an audience that we might otherwise be unable to access. Though initially a silent vigil, we soon realized that it was a perfect forum to discuss the issue with attendees whose level of information varied -dramatically. The vigil has since been held, uninterrupted, every Thursday evening. It is held for one minute for every year since Operation Homecoming in 1973. Attendance varies from a very few in the worst of weather to the hundreds who welcomed Mike Durant after his return from Somalia.
We have had visitors from all over the United States and been able to complement the knowledge of the POW/MIA issue for many, and provide the initial exposure to many more. Many have become aware of the issue and convinced of our dedication to its resolution merely by seeing us there regardless of severe weather or distractions from other arenas. We all are aware that our tenure in the park will be limited by the biological time clock none of us can avoid. We were anxious to find a way to insure that the message continued even in our absence at such time that the vigil was no longer a possibility.
No better tangible reminder of the years in the park could be provided than the provision of a monument that would withstand the ravages of time. We began the process of governmental approval early in 2002, and fund raising (something we rarely undertake) later that year. The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day, 2003. The monument’s construction and materials are a match for memorials existing in the park, with a message and image we hoped would escape no one. The traditional logo and “Honoring Prisoners of War, Missing in Action, Past, Present, and Future” cast in bronze will greet all who travel through this Vermont community. We believe ours is the only one in Vermont dedicated specifically to POW/MIAs, and one of very few in New England. It is accompanied by a POW/MIA flag flying 24 hours a day.
We have insisted from the onset that this is a monument, not a memorial. The Network’s first priority is the return of live American POW/MIAs, and it is imperative that we not compromise that in word or deed. The monument honors all who have endured the life experience that few fully understand, and provides a beacon of hope for those waiting to return to the country they honorably served.

Bob McRoberts
Eau Claire, Wisconsin

I read your story on keeping alive the spirit of the POW/MIA flag. Here’s a picture of our flag pole, with Old Glory flying high, and the POW/MIA flag reminding everyone of our brothers still waiting to come home. Anyone who follows the issue is, or should be, aware of the many who were left behind. I have been flying this black flag for years. It’s on my car, on my vet’s jacket, t-shirts from the Highground, and Freedom Flight.
I wear it with pride for those who were POWs and were released, and for those still waiting – in the hope that they will come back to loved ones who have waited so long. I get tired of people who don’t believe POWs exist. The past administrations want to bury this issue. I fly the POW/MIA flag to remind everyone that this issue will not go away! We want accountability for all who were left behind. We will never forget!

Whitney Swan
Lake Wilderness, Virginia

My flag has been flying since the day I moved in, which was July 4th, 1990. I keep three or four POW/MIA flags on hand at all times to use when needed.
I uncovered a Confederate bayonet while digging in the exact spot where I put the flag pole. I am not a Civil War relic-hunter nor do I do any metal detecting. I just happened to find it not more than two inches under the surface.
After noticing the POW/MIA flag flying outside the DMV one day, I was curious as to why the POW flag was flying on this particular day. It was some holiday or occasion, which I can’t remember, but was told they had orders from the governor’s office to fly the POW flag that day. I wrote to the governor’s office, wanting to know why the flag was flown on that particular day rather than every day, since our POWs are missing every day, not just certain days. The answer I received was just as I expected – no answer at all.
I would be proud to see my flag, along with my dog Lisa Marie, in your magazine. I had a retired Marine come by the other day, and he asked where he might purchase a POW flag. I told him I would give him one if he promised to fly it. He said he would, so I did. Y’all take care, and may God bless our POWs and God bless America.

Tangle Lakes River Inn
Paxon, Alaska
Submitted by Bob Gutsche, VietNow National VA Chairman

On the Denali Highway, about twenty miles out of Paxson, Alaska, is the Tangle Lakes Tangle River Inn. There flies the Stars and Stripes, the POW/MIA flag, and the state flag of Alaska. I inquired of the owner and the story of why the flag was flown. The owner is Naidine Johnson, and she is from a strong military family as her one brother was in the Marines and another in the Army. Her nephew was wounded in Vietnam, and her brother-in-law is a retired colonel who saw action in Vietnam as a combat pilot. She sang with U.S.O. tours in Europe for eight years.

Tony Newcomb
Tony Newcomb, Burnside, Kentucky
Submitted by Glenn Portwood, Macon County VietNow

This flag pole belongs to Tony Newcomb, past vice-president of Macon County VietNow. Tony is a member of the Black Tigers, and moved to Burnside, Kentucky, recently. One of the first things he did when he moved was put up the flag pole.

Bob Gutsche
VietNow National VA Chairman
Tomah, Wisconsin

Here’s our flag pole with Old Glory flying high, and the POW/MIA flag reminding everyone that drives or walks by about our brothers still waiting to come home. Anybody that follows the issue should be fully aware of the many that were left behind in Nam and Operation Homecoming. I have been flying this black flag for years. I get tired of the ones that don’t believe POWs exist. The past administrations want to bury this issue. I fly the POW/MIA flag to remind everyone, “This issue will not go away.” We want accountability for all of our vets left behind. We will never forget.

George and Mary Murphy
DeKalb VietNow
Newark, Illinois

Here are our flags flying in front of our house. We’ve flown the flags daily since 1982. My husband, George Murphy, is a life member of VietNow (DeKalb chapter). We fly the POW/MIA flag for the cause – to remind people of those left behind or never accounted for, for support of their families to let them know they are not forgotten and we care. Sometimes people stop and ask me what that black and white flag is all abut. They’re usually children or older folks, but it makes me feel good to think someone has noticed enough to ask what it’s about. That’s why we fly it.

Shirley Farkas
Associate Member of VietNow
Edwardsburg, Michigan

This picture shows our POW/MIA flag being flown at the church (Hope United Methodist Church) which my husband, Bob, and I attend. We travel a lot, and as far as I know, we are the only church in the county that flies this flag – maybe the whole state.
Here’s how the flag came to be flown at our church. The minister we used to have served in the Air Force, and I had a brother who was a POW in the Korean War (he later died in a prison camp). My husband and I approached the minister one day and asked if there would be a problem flying the POW/MIA flag along with the American and Christian flag. He said he would have to get approval of the board, and to make a long story short, they said OK.
We fly a POW/MIA flag at home, but at a church seems great, so I must say this is our favorite. My husband is a Vietnam veteran and I’m the booking agent for VietNow National Chaplain, John Steer, in the Midwest. We have been to some of the VietNow functions with Rev. Steer and his wife, Donna.

Rich Teague
Pacific Northwest VietNow
Cottonwood, California

I served in Vietnam as a U.S. Army staff sergeant, assigned to the 1st Aviation Brigade in Phu Loi, South Vietnam, from April, 1968 to April, 1969. After the peace accords were signed between North Vietnam and the United States, I watched the 591 American POWs returned from Vietnam during Operation Homecoming, on the evening news. Shortly after their return, I recall President Richard Nixon, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and others proclaim that we got all of our live POWs home and that everyone else was dead. I had no reason to doubt that, and so moved on with my life.
In August of 1988, I learned that live American POWs had been knowingly left behind in Southeast Asia. The deeper I researched the POW/MIA issue, the worse it got. Not only had the U.S. government abandoned my fellow servicemen from the Vietnam War, but we still had POW/MIAs from World War II and Korea. At this point I became an individual POW/MIA activist.
We moved to Crescent City, California, in 1989, and I tried to find a local organization that was working on the POW/MIA issue. When I walked into the Veterans Memorial building, wearing my POW/MIA jacket, two members of the local VFW shook their heads and said, “POWs, huh? When are you going to give it up?” I told them it was because of attitudes like theirs that we had a POW/MIA issue and that the men had been left behind.
While in Washington, DC, for a POW/MIA meeting, I met Sammy Davis. I explained my frustration about finding a group to work with on the POW/MIA issue. He suggested I contact VietNow, which I did. Within ten days I had a VietNow chapter startup kit in the mail. I made some phone calls to people I had talked to about the issue, and set up a chapter formation informational meeting. Within six weeks of my return from DC, the Pacific Northwest VietNow chapter was formed.
I have held the offices of Chapter President, Vice-President, POW/MIA Chairman, Membership Chairman, and Newsletter Editor. In addition, I was the VietNow National POW/MIA Chairman for five years.
My wife, Lynn, was also very active in the chapter. As a Charter Associate, she was involved in a variety of chapter activities, including food baskets for needy veterans, working on the newsletter, chapter fundraisers, and singing at the POW/MIA programs.
We flew the U.S. flag and the POW/MIA flag at our home in Crescent City, California. So when I retired in May of 2002 and moved to Cottonwood, California, it was only natural to display the U.S. and the POW/MIA flags at our new home.I am proud to be a Life Member of VietNow and the Pacific Northwest chapter.

VietNow Life Member Ray Merrell
Mountain View Dome, Colorado

Here’s a picture of the temporary flag pole I put up every national holiday and on Veterans Day. This picture was taken on Veterans Day at our new home site here in Colorado. The flag pole (a two by four piece of lumber) is tied to our future “extreme home.” Although it’s not easy to see in the photos, we fly a small POW/MIA flag along with the U.S. flag. We have been building our retirement home the past few months.
I’m a former member of the Berwyn/Cicero VietNow chapter. When I was forced into retirement from my job, we moved from Oak Park, Illinois to Pueblo, Colorado where we had a 40-acre property and began building our retirement home.
Why build such an unusual house? Many reasons! It costs about the same to build, but is far superior to a normal house. It’s virtually indestructible. It’s fireproof, hurricanes and tornadoes won’t touch it, and earthquakes, can’t destroy it – termites either.
It’s extremely economical to live in this type of home. It’s built of foam over concrete with an insulation rating of approximately R60+ so it’s very economical to heat and cool. It gets hot here in Colorado, so we built a patio between the house and the garage so we will have shade. It’s always cooler in the shade.
An interesting observation this summer: Twice I checked the outside temperature by shielding the thermometer from the sun on the outside of the domes and then went inside. All domes were open to air flow, and the difference was 20 degrees lower temperature inside. Everyone enjoyed working inside all summer. The shells cooled off at night, and since the concrete is inside, it held the night temperature all day long. The temperature varies 30 to 40 degrees from day to night.
Another Vietnam veteran contacted me about starting a VietNow chapter out here, and although we have not yet made much progress, we are pursuing it. You can check our building process (and progress) at our web site: www.mountainviewdome.com

VietNow's POW/MIA Mom, Dorothy Boyer
Rockford, Illinois – Member of Rockford VietNow Charter Chapter

Here is a photo of the POW/MIA flag that flies in front of my house in Rockford, Illinois. The flag has proudly flown here since 1986. The flagpole is tall and can be seen from all the houses in the area.
I fly the POW/MIA flag in honor of my son, SFC Alan L. Boyer. Alan is one of the unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War. He was a Green Beret in Laos, and was on a SOG mission when the unit came under enemy fire.
Alan was on the rope ladder, being evacuated, when the ladder broke. Two other Green Berets were on the ground, and all three were listed as MIA on March 28, 1968.
After the war, when efforts for accounting were begun, and with Vietnamese and Laotian cooperation, use of coordinates, and knowledge of site witnesses were found who claimed knowledge of burying three Americans. The site has been excavated with no results.
Many years have passed, and I will continue to proudly fly my two flags until the fullest possible accounting of all POW/MIAs is met.

Macon County VietNow POW/MIA Flag
Decatur, Illinois
Submitted by Ruth Wakeland, Macon County VietNow

On June 8, 2003, members and associates of the Macon County VietNow chapter dedicated a new flag pole on the lawn in front of the VietNow Apartments in Decatur, Illinois. The building has been used as temporary housing for several chapter members and associates looking for permanent homes, and is currently occupied by three permanent residents. The building also houses the Macon County chapter library with photo albums and scrapbooks showing the history of VietNow in Macon County. The dedication ceremony included talks by Macon County chapter president Glenn Portwood and Illinois State Representative Robert F. Flider. And of course no VietNow flag pole is complete without a POW/MIA flag to fly along with the stars and stripes.

Gene Mars
Billings, Montana

This flag is at the home of Gene Mars, just outside Billings, Montana. It is a 30-foot pole, flying a 5 x 8-foot U.S. flag and a 3 x 4-foot POW/MIA flag. The base is covered in 32 square feet of absolute black granite.

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