Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Jr., M.D. (D-Burlington) will host the 12th Annual POW*MIA Remembrance Ceremony Friday, honoring those who have returned – and those still missing in the line of duty – from our country’s military conflicts.
The event will be held at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, September 20, at The Merion, 1301 Rt. 130 South, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077. Anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP by calling (856) 461-3997.
“It’s been a true privilege and honor to attend and now host this event over the last dozen years,” said Conaway, a former U.S. Air Force Captain. “Every year I’m inspired by the compassion and resilience shown by all those who have lost someone or, worse, still remain unsure of their fate.”
This year, the following individuals and organizations will be honored:
· Former POWs of the Japanese, German, and Korean governments; and
· Gold Star parents and relatives of those still missing.
“We can never truly erase the pain and suffering these families have endured, but hopefully they will understand the depths of our gratitude and perhaps feel their pain eased, even for just a day. This is a small token of remembrance to mark our gratitude for the untold sacrifices that our military men and women and their families have made,” added Conaway.
The event, always held on the National POW*MIA Day of Remembrance (the third Friday in September), will also feature a solemn salute to the unaccounted military men and women from New Jersey and the rest of the nation.
The event was originally started by Conaway’s former district-mate Assemblyman Jack Conners in 2001. Since then, it has grown from 90 attendees at a local VFW post to an event hosting more than 600 individuals, including POWs and their families, active duty military personnel, representatives from the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and representatives from national, state, county and local veterans’ organizations.