Flag tour is a stark reminder that not all who serve make it back home

A POW/MIA flag is one step closer to returning to its home in Grundy, Va., but it is itself a stark reminder that not all men and women in the military make it home.

The POW/MIA 50 State Flag Tour made a brief stop in Somerset Saturday morning at the Somerset Mall before continuing its journey, escorted by a motorcycle motorcade consisting of AMVETS Riders Department of Kentucky, Riders from Ky125, KY126, KY119, KY64, and KY61, Patriot Guard Riders, Second Brigade, Native Pride Riders, and Combat Vets Association.

The flag is a symbol of all those who are missing, unaccounted for or are prisoners of war, as well as the commitment to learning about their fates and bringing them home.

Currently, however, thousands of those fates are still a mystery. As American Legion Post 38 Chaplain Clarence Floyd said during his prayer, “Lord, we don’t know where they are. They are only known to you.”

The man whose idea it was to bring the flag around the U.S., Vietnam veteran Jim Ray, was present Saturday, and made an impassioned plea to the crowd.

“If we don’t do something now, in the years to come they’re going to sweep it under the rug,” Ray said. “They’re just going to forget about it. And I’m telling you I’m not willing for that to happen as long as I’m standing on the face of this earth. I want something done about the 82,000-plus POWs. And we can all do that if we work hard and push hard.”

The flag is close to its destination, with the plan being for it to return to Grundy, Va., before being taken to Washington, D.C. to be kept at the Smithsonian Institute. A book with signatures accompanies the flag, and local residents and riders had the opportunity to add their names at Saturday’s event.

“Never before in the history of our nation has a single POW/MIA flag made its way through all 50 states,” said Kristen Orem, Kentucky president for AMVET Riders, telling the crowd that it was an opportunity to bring “awareness, honor and remembrance to the 83,000 POW/MIAs.”

While instructing riders on how to take the next leg of the journey, Orem urged the riders to stay safe.

“Each and every one of us here today understands the importance of this ride. ... Let us complete the mission at hand. Let’s bring this POW/MIA flag home.”