Hirschauer Bill Aims to Establish POW/MIA Recognition Day

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. – State Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-West Chicago, is working to honor service members who never returned home with new legislation creating a commemorative day for Prisoners of War (POW) and those declared as Missing in Action (MIA) during their service to the United States.

“Our communities thrive because others answered the call to serve. We remember with deepest gratitude those who never returned, the missing and the captured, whose sacrifice remains unfinished in our hearts,” said Hirschauer. “It is especially important to the family members of those missing and captured that we keep the memories of their loved ones alive through an annual recognition day.”

Hirschauer’s House Bill 4309 commemorates the third Friday of September each year with a POW/MIA Recognition Day Proclamation. This official proclamation will call the public to reflect on the sacrifices made by United States armed forces, especially those who were held as prisoners in foreign countries or who have been designated as missing in action during war or hostile times. The bill also recognizes the resolve of family and friends who continue to seek the fullest possible accounting for missing loved ones.

“More than 80,000 service members remain unaccounted for from the United States with over 4,000 of those soldiers from Illinois. That’s why, it is crucial that as a state, we make sure our communities don’t forget our service members who answered our country’s call to action and were never able to come back home, said Hirschauer. “Their lives and sacrifices need to be honored and remembered in our history.”