POW - MIA

In 1980, American hostages were captured and held in Iran and it didn't look good. People rallied, the media ran rampant and hostage fever grew. To show solidarity with the hostages and their families, people took a cue from a recently popular song, 'Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Old Oak Tree' and started yellow tying ribbons on anything that stood still.

The song was recorded several times through the years but had become a resounding hit when Tony Orlando and Dawn recorded it in 1973... and it played for years, playing on in the heads of the public. The song, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown, referred to a man coming home after a stint in prison. It didn't matter, the message was quickly picked up by Human Rights organizations, Amnesty International and other hostage support groups, and yellow ribbons were to be found virtually everywhere.

Odd that yellow should be picked, as during many a military campaign, a yellow ribbon denoted cowardice. Yet, it has prevailed as a popular symbol of support by the public and 'leaving a light in the window.' Although yellow is generally used by the public for POW MIA awareness, all POW MIA Dining-In Ceremonies still use a RED ribbon tied around the vase that holds the single red rose.

Today, with so very many organizations and so few colors to choose from, the yellow ribbon is used regularly by a vast number of organizations to show solidarity with their cause.

POW / MIA Links

POWMIA.com
The POWMIA.com website is geared towards the issue of US military prisoners of war (POW) / soldiers missing in action (MIA) / and those killed in action (KIA).

Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office
Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) is responsible for oversight of policies on the rescue of live Americans and the recovery and identification of the remains of those who never returned from foreign battlefields.

National League of POW/MIA Families
An organization for family members of POW/MIA's from the Vietnam War.

AII POW-MIA
A massive POW-MIA Archive featuring news, reports, email news network, documents, daily and monthly updates, military, government and research links