09/17/2026
National POW/MIA Recognition Day is tomorrow. Sharing this Helena gathering where the community will come together to honor former POWs, remember Montana service members who are still missing, and show support for the families who continue to hope for answers. 🖤
Montana Veterans to Commemorate 48th National POW/MIA Recognition Day in Helena, Montana
Veterans, military personnel, and members of the public are cordially invited to participate in a National Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Recognition Day ceremony at 8 a.m. Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Lewis and Clark County Veterans Memorial in Helena’s Memorial Park. The ceremony is being held in conjunction with the 48th national observance of POW/MIA Recognition Day. This solemn occasion honors former prisoners of war, remembers American servicemembers who remain missing and unaccounted for, and recognizes the families who continue to wait for answers.
A central part of the Helena ceremony will be the reading of the names of Montana’s 53 POW/MIA service members. Individuals who wish to participate in the reading should gather at the memorial between 7:30 and 8 a.m. to receive instructions and review the process. The formal reading of the names will begin at 8 a.m. Participants and attendees are encouraged to dress appropriately for cool early-morning weather.
POW/MIA Recognition Day is more than a date on the calendar; it is a reaffirmation of our nation’s promise that we will never forget. By reading the names of Montana’s missing service members, we remind their families and our communities that each one is remembered as an individual, not simply as a number.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day was established in 1979 and is observed annually on the third Friday of September. Ceremonies are conducted at military installations, veterans’ facilities, state capitols, schools and community memorials throughout the United States. The familiar black-and-white POW/MIA flag carries the words “You Are Not Forgotten.” It represents the nation’s continuing responsibility to seek the fullest possible accounting of those who remain missing from America’s past conflicts.
The American Legion has long supported efforts to recover, identify, and return America’s fallen service members. The organization remains committed to assisting POW/MIA families and ensuring the federal government maintains the personnel, resources, and diplomatic efforts necessary to account for those who have not returned.
The passing of time does not lessen our obligation to those who have not returned home. We will continue to remember their service, speak their names, support their families, and insist that every reasonable effort be made to bring them home.
Community members, veterans’ organizations, civic groups and students are encouraged to attend and participate in this meaningful tribute. The American Legion encourages all Montanans to pause on September 18 and reflect upon the sacrifices made by America’s prisoners of war, missing servicemembers and their families.
The event is sponsored by the Fort William Henry Harrison Museum Foundation & Montana Military Museum, The American Legion Post #2 (Lewis & Clark) Voiture 718, 40 & 8 Society, Lewis & Clark County Veterans Memorial Foundation, and veterans at large.
For additional information or to volunteer to read a name during the ceremony, contact Ray Read at 406-458-9847 or 406-235-0290.
