HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE
The National League of Families of American Prisoners & Missing in Southeast Asia — also known as the National League of POW/MIA Families — was incorporated in the District of Columbia on May 28, 1970. Voting membership was originally comprised of wives, children, parents, siblings, and other close relatives of Americans who were or are listed as Prisoners of War (POW), Missing in Action (MIA), Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered (KIA/BNR), as well as returned American Vietnam War POWs. Associate membership comprises veterans, concerned citizens, and extended family members of POW/MIA and KIA/BNR relatives.
The League originated on the west coast in the late 1960s. Believing that the U.S. Government policy of maintaining a low profile on the POW/MIA issue - such as urging family members to refrain from publicly discussing the problem - was unjustified, Sybil Stockdale, wife of a ranking POW, and several others initiated a loosely organized movement that evolved into the National League of POW/MIA Families. In October 1968, the first POW/MIA news stories were published. As a result of that publicity, families began communicating with each other, and the group grew in strength from 50 to 100, to 300, and kept growing. Small POW/MIA family member groups, supported by concerned Americans, met with the North Vietnamese delegation in Paris, and thousands of Americans flooded them with telegraphic inquiries regarding the prisoners, the concerning conditions of their captivity, and the fates of the missing.
Eventually, the necessity for formal incorporation was recognized. In May 1970, a special ad hoc meeting of the families was held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, at which time the League's charter and bylaws were adopted. Elected by the voting membership, a seven-member Board of Directors meets regularly to determine League policy and direction.
The League’s national office is currently directed by the Executive Director, Aaron Ahlstrom. Concerned citizens, family members, volunteers, and interns provide support and are indispensable to the League’s efforts. All participate in implementing policies established by the membership and elected, seven-member Board of Directors, as well as advocating and coordinating public awareness and education projects. Also very involved is longtime spokesman Ann Mills-Griffiths, MIA/RR sister, who served as League Executive Director from mid-1978 until mid-2011, at which time she was elected as Chairman of the Board and continued in that role until 2026.
