Harrisburg, October 25, 2017 Legislation sponsored by Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) that would require the POW-MIA flag to be flown whenever the American and state flags are flown on state grounds was approved by the Senate today.
Senate Bill 882, which Schwank introduced in June, was approved by the upper chamber, 50-0
The bill would require the POW-MIA flag be flown along with the U.S. flag on state grounds and buildings. The legislation does not impose the requirement on local governments or school districts.
In the last 100 years, more than 1,100 Pennsylvania families have lost loved ones whose bodies have no known resting spot where their service and sacrifice can be marked and remembered. The black-and-white POW-MIA flag depicts the silhouette of a soldier with his head bowed. Behind the soldier are the images of a watchtower, a strand of barbwire and the words “POW,” “MIA” and “You are not forgotten.”
Congress designated the flag in 1990 as “the symbol of our nation’s concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.”
“We must never forget those we’ve lost in combat, or the men and women who never came home, either because they have sacrificed their lives or are held against their will,” Schwank said. “This legislation will ensure we keep our promise to remember.”
The bill moves to the House now for consideration.
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