News-Info-Alerts

Re: Illinois Governor Honors POWs

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Date: April 11, 2002

"Governor makes appearance at annual POW ceremony

By JEFF DRUCHNIAK
STATE CAPITOL BUREAU

An annual ceremony honoring former Illinois prisoners of war doesn’t usually draw the state’s top official, but Gov. George Ryan appeared outside the Executive Mansion on Tuesday for the commemoration.

Ryan was one of several state officials to speak to the gathering of about 20 former POWs, at least four widows of POWs and nearly 100 others, including veterans, Purple Heart recipients and their friends and families.

Like many states, Illinois recognizes POWs April 9, the date of the World War II surrender of the Philippines in 1942. That day resulted in more than 25,000 U.S. soldiers being taken prisoner by Japan. Robert E. Lee also surrendered the Confederate armies April 9, ending the Civil War.

This year, President Bush issued a proclamation declaring April 9 an official nationwide day of commemoration, and Ryan seized the cue to issue a similar proclamation of his own.

The mansion grounds typically host the ceremony, but Harold Kniss of the Illinois American Ex-POWs’ Springfield-area chapter said Ryan’s presence was highly unusual.

"This is the first time we’ve had the governor in as long as I can remember," Kniss said. "Some years, we’d get the first lady, every now and then."

Harold Fritz, the state’s deputy director of veterans affairs, said Illinois veterans have gathered in Springfield for the April 9 observance every year since 1983. Illinois was one of the first states in the nation to conduct such an observance.

In Ryan’s remarks, he emphasized his respect for the occasion, mentioning three times that he was pleased the ceremony was being held in fine weather. The governor said the current war on terrorism makes national remembrance more important and paid his respects to current active military personnel.

"I think we should pray that they come home safely, without being able to join your historic, distinguished troops (as POWs)," he said.

The ceremony began with military music from the Springfield Municipal Band. A 21-gun salute coupled with a bugle performance of "Taps" accompanied the lowering of the POW-MIA flag.

Donald McCormick, the state commander of the ex-POWs’ organization, said it’s important for the group to do a better job reaching out to veterans of military actions from the Vietnam War onward.

McCormick noted that Illinois has more than 1,500 of the nation’s 45,000 surviving POWs, but only about 500 are members of the Illinois American Ex-POWs, most from WWII or the Korean War.

Kniss agreed, adding that even 500 members is an overstatement.

"We’re dying down. The wives are carrying most of the load anymore," said Kniss, an Army rifleman who was captured behind enemy lines before being released from a German POW camp.

"We have to remember that each POW was once an MIA," McCormick said. "And there are a lot of MIAs still out there, and their families have no closure."

Jeff Druchniak can be reached at 544-2819 or jeff.druchniak@sj-r.com.

© Copyright 2002, The State Journal-Register "