The San Diego Air & Space Museum, in partnership with the Spirit of Liberty Foundation, hosted a salute Friday to honor prisoners of war and those still missing in action from past conflicts.
Veterans from the Vietnam and Korean Wars attended the ceremony, along with 103-year-old Max Gurney, a World War II veteran and La Jolla resident, who traveled to Normandy in June to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The majority of the 81,000 American troops who are still unaccounted for served in World War II, Vietnam and the Korean War, according to the foundation.
Veterans who attended today’s POW/MIA salute. San Diego Air & Space Museum photo 
Music was incorporated in today’s salute. San Diego Air & Space Museum photo 
Richard Rovsek, chairman of the Spirit of Liberty Foundation, discussed the significance of America’s Freedom Bell. Air & Space Museum photo 
One of 81 times where a veteran rang America’s Freedom Bell to honor the 81,000 missing service members. San Diego Air & Space Museum photo
“These heroes answered the call of duty and gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom everywhere, but their stories remain unfinished,” said Jim Kidrick, president and CEO of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. “Their sacrifice and the pain endured by their families, cannot be, nor should it ever be, forgotten.”
Kidrick opened Friday’s salute by reading excerpts of an official statement from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s Director Kelly McKeague.
“Over the course of our history, tens of thousands of Americans who answered the call to arms were taken as POWs where they faced inconceivable hardships and suffering. But they persevered with inordinate courage, faith, and resiliency to return home with honor.
“There are also tens of thousands who are tragically still unaccounted for — they are our MIAs who made the supreme sacrifice for our nation and did not come home. Their families still grieve over their loss, which is exacerbated by the inherent uncertainty of them not being home.
“Through this ceremony and so much of what you do, you embody the words of the iconic POW/MIA Flag, ‘You are Not Forgotten,'” McKeague wrote.
The salute culminated with veterans ringing America’s Freedom Bell 81 times to honor those 81,000 American service members still missing in action.
“It’s closure,” said Richard Rovsek, chairman of the Spirit of Liberty Foundation. “We owe it to families to honor the missing and hope to see this recognition expanded in cities and towns across America.”
Spirit of Liberty Foundation’s bell is crafted from 330 pounds of bronze and 11 pounds of steel symbolically from the World Trade Center towers that fell during Sept. 11 attacks. It bears the emblems of each branch of the United States Armed Forces and has been the centerpiece of many honor ceremonies from Normandy to Hawaii.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day, established by Congress in the 1998 Defense Authorization Act, is observed on the third Friday in September.
“This day should be as important as Memorial Day and Veterans Day,” Rovsek said.
