Naval Hospital Beaufort Flies the POW/MIA Flag

BEAUFORT, S.C (NNS) -- Naval Hospital Beaufort commemorated National POW/MIA Recognition Day by flying the POW/MIA flag and holding a special ceremony at morning colors, Sept. 21.

The POW/MIA flag is flown each year to recognize the sacrifice of those service members who have been held prisoner or who are still missing, and their families.

The guest speaker was retired Chief Hospital Corpsman Jeffrey Hughes who served as the leading chief petty officer for the Repatriated POW Program at what is now the Navy Medicine Operational Training Center (NMOTC) in Pensacola, Fla. The mission of NMOTC is to assist with the repatriation of past and future prisoners of war by fully understanding the physical and mental effects of captivity by studying and evaluating former POWs.

Hughes worked with former prisoners of war, including U.S. Sen. John McCain and retired Cmdr. Everett Alvarez, while at NMOTC and shared the impact of those experiences with Naval Hospital Beaufort staff.

"Personally, I was truly humbled to be able to walk and talk with these giants from the Vietnam War," said Hughes. "They had been through so much for so many years and I was in awe of them. I learned a lot about military service and life just being around them."

One thing that Hughes learned is that life is never as bad as you think. "Did you wake up in leg irons and your arms shackled behind your back? Have you spent the last twenty four hours tied up and hanging from the roof beams? If not, life is good."

Hughes said it's important to remember our POWs and MIAs. "First and foremost, this is a part of our history. We should never forget the sacrifices made and the family members that are still waiting to have some closure. We have a lot we could learn from these service members that would make us better Marines and Sailors, not to mention better people in general.

The black and white flag was created by the National League of Families and serves as a symbol of our nation's commitment to America's POW/MIAs to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all missing and unaccounted personnel.

Open since 1949, Naval Hospital Beaufort provides general medical, surgical, and emergency services to all active duty personnel, as well as retired military and family members residing in the Beaufort area, a total population of approximately 29,000 beneficiaries.

For more news from Naval Hospital Beaufort, visit www.navy.mil/local/nhbeaufort/.