Churchill Honors POWs/MIAs

USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL, At Sea (NNS) -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) held a ceremony honoring American prisoners of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) on National POW/MIA Recognition Day, Sept. 21.

The ceremony included a benediction, a POW/MIA presentation by Churchill's Multicultural Heritage Committee (MHC) and a reading in honor of the POW/MIA table.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established 1998 by an act of Congress and is celebrated annually on the third Friday in September.

"The better we accurately understand history, the better we understand our future," said Lt. Cary C. Shinn, chaplain for Destroyer Squadron 28 as he gave the invocation. "POWs teach us a lot about our heritage and values of the generations that preceded us. As our Sailors become torchbearers for our future, the values that lead our POWs to such sacrifices can teach this generation and the ones that follow how to respond when a hard decision is necessary."

Following the invocation, MHC members presented a video and short lecture on the life of the late Vice Adm. James Stockdale. Stockdale was the longest serving POW from the Vietnam War. He served seven years in what was known as the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, suffering torture while attempting to shield other POWs from abuse. Stockdale was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions.

"Stockdale and those like him set an example for those of us on deployment," said Yeoman 3rd Class Kimberly Lott, a MHC member who helped organize the event. "They remind us that we can endure incredible hardships for our country."

The ceremony concluded with a moment of silence and a description of the POW/MIA table displayed at the ceremony.

The POW/MIA table, normally found on the mess decks throughout Navy ships and installations, is a single dinner setting that symbolizes the hardship for both member and family experienced in POW/MIA situation.

Among the symbols at the table is the single rose and salt, in addition to a plate and silverware. The rose symbolizes family members' hope for the return of their loved one and salt represents the tears cried during their loved ones' absence.

Ship's Serviceman Seaman Qing Su and Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Darren Keith shared in the reading of the table's meaning to ceremony attendees.

"We are all one team in the military. We fight together and today we mourn, remember and hope together," said Keith. "These service members are the last warriors of the wars they fought; we dare not forget them."

Winston S. Churchill is currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts, and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom.

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