Elbe Day, April 25, 1945, is the day Soviet and American troops met at the Elbe River, near Torgau in Germany, marking an important step toward the end of World War II in Europe. This contact between the Soviets, advancing from the East, and the Americans, advancing from the West, meant that the two powers had effectively cut Germany in two.
The wreath-laying ceremony took place at Arlington National Cemetery with Ambassador of the Russion Federation, Anatoly Antonov and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Thomas Shannon, Jr. speaking. . League and SOA/SFA Delegations to SEA
The trip was very productive and SOA/SFA's parallel effort demonstrated to all the real partnership that now exists between SOA, SFA and the League, a strong combination that impacted those with whom we met, especially in Vietnam, but also in Laos.
The death rate for MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command Vietnam - Special Operations Group) personnel during the Vietnam War was over 100%, nearly all MIA or KIA/BNR in Vietnamese controlled border areas of Laos and Cambodia. The vast majority of SOA/SFA losses are in Laos, and include USAF, USMC and USN aircrew members flying in support of MACV-SOG missions, including Bright Light recovery efforts. We all are most grateful that SOA and SFA are working so constructively to accomplish our shared mission. Like the League, SOA and SFA support recovery and individual ID's on WWII and Korean War personnel, but NOT at the expense of focused priority on achieving the fullest possible accounting for Vietnam War missing. League Chairman, Ann Mills-Griffiths USRJC 21st Plenum, Moscow, RU
The 21st Plenum of the US Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs was held November 7 - 9th, 2017 in Moscow. As invited observers, Ann Mills- Griffiths, Chairman of the Board, National League of POW/MIA Families and Bob Wallace, Executive Director, VFW, were in attendance at the meetings as well as participating in a wreath laying ceremony at the Federal Memorial Military Cemetery. They were also taken on tours of the Anti-aircraft Museum and Patriot Park, as well as attending a reconstruction of the historic Red Square Military Parade of November 7, 1941.
Pictured below are Bob Wallace, General Valery Vostrotin, General Robert "Doc" Foglesong (Ret), Ann Mills- Griffiths, and the Russian Honor Guard. The delegates and attendees were also invited to tour the Russian Air Defense Museum. Pictured below is the Vietnam War display and a Russian anti-aircraft gun. POW/MIA Chair of honor at
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The League office attended the official unveiling of the POW/MIA Chair of Honor at Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitors Center of the U.S. Capitol. The Chair, which will serve as a permanent tribute to American POWs and MIAs, was installed in the Capitol pursuant to the National POW/MIA Remembrance Act (P.L. 114-147), a bill introduced by Congressman Lynch and Senator Warren and signed into law by President Obama in 2016. The Chair of Honor and its accompanying display was made possible by the generous financial support of Rolling Thunder National, along with the contributions of the National League of POW/MIA Families.
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, unveiled the commemorative chair, during the ceremony in the U.S. Capitol's Emancipation Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, |
Please join the National League of POW/MIA Families and the @VietnamVeteransMemorialFund for a candlelight remembrance at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Friday, September 15, 2017, National POW/MIA Recognition Day. We will remember the more than 1,600 still missing and otherwise unaccounted-for, as well as their families. We hope you’ll attend and/or sponsor a candle to be placed at The Wall in honor of their sacrifice. Visit: vvmf.org/POWMIA
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