24 September 2014 – Philippine Consul General in Honolulu Gina A. Jamoralin presented a wreath at the National Prisoners of War/ Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day Ceremony held at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) on September 19. The Consuls General of Japan, Republic of Korea and Australia also attended the event and laid wreaths.
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), together with the NMCP, organized the event. The JPAC conducts global search, recovery, and laboratory operations to identify unaccounted-for Americans from past conflicts in order to support the Department of Defense’s personnel accounting efforts.
Employing more than 500 military and civilian professionals and commanded by U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kelly McKeague, JPAC has spanned the globe in search of unaccounted-for Americans since its inception in 2003.
The laboratory portion of the JPAC, referred to as the Central Identification Laboratory, is the largest and most diverse forensic skeletal laboratory in the world.
Since 2003, JPAC has identified more than 812 Americans. Combined with the efforts of its predecessor units, close to 1,860 Americans have been identified since the accounting effort began in the 1970s.
Reitred U.S. Navy Captain James Hickerson, former POW, delivered the keynote address. In his speech, Captain Hickerson related his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, Mr. Hickerson was the first A-7 pilot to be shot down on 22 December 1967. After enduring five years of torture and deprivation in Hanoi, he was ultimately released as part of Operation Homecoming in 1973. He attributes his survival to three things: God, country and his fellow POWs.
Mr. Hickerson said that he is a Presbyterian, and praying sustained him during those difficult times. He also stated that his imprisonment enabled him to have a greater appreciation of his country. He also related communicating with his fellow American POWs by learning a system of communication by tapping at walls.
After Mr. Hickerson’s speech, the program continued with a reading of Missing in Action Servicemen who were identified, followed by the wreath presentation ceremony. The Hickam Base Honor Guard then gave a Rifle Salute, followed lastly by the playing of “Taps” by the Marine Forces Pacific Band.
After the program, the Consul General met and exchanged pleasantries with General Kelly McKeague, Commander, JPAC and Mr. James Hickerson. END