With the help of local scout troops, Veterans of Foreign War Post 2657 of Fulton held a POW/ MIA flag raising ceremony at Memorial Park Wednesday evening.
Boy Scout Troops 50 and 53 both attended, as did Cub Scout Pack 50. Boy Scouts involved in the ceremony were Jakob Gibson, Q Gibson and Mason Crane. Cub Scouts were Brenden Earickson and Caleb Earickson.
Post Commander Larry Underwood and Adjutant Quarter Master Charles Williams led the troops in the ceremony.
"We were having a hard time getting the ceremony scheduled," Williams said. "But it really doesn't matter which day we chose because until those guys are all home, every day is a day to recognize them."
There is already a POW/MIA flag flying at Veterans Park, but Williams said they wanted another where there was more visibility. The VFW post has often been involved in instructing the scouting troops in flag etiquette. According to Advancement Chair of Troop 50, David Crane, the scouts recently participated in a flag retirement ceremony. This ceremony is necessary when a flag has become too worn to be displayed. In these cases, the respectful way to dispose of the
flag is for it to be burned.
Only three entities can officially retire a flag. They are VFW posts, Scout troops and American Legion posts.
According to the United States Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website, there are 19 soldiers from Missouri who are Accounted-For POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War. The most recent remains to be identified and returned home were those of Rodney Griffin from Centralia last January.
There are still 36 Unaccounted-For POW/MIAs from Missouri.