National D-Day Memorial pays tribute to veterans missing in action

Ceremony remembers more than 200 Virginians who became POW/MIA since WWII

BEDFORD, Va. – Thousands of American veterans have gone missing in war, but the National D-Day Memorial made sure those lost in combat would be remembered.

The memorial hosted a ceremony paying tribute to veterans who are prisoners of war or missing in action Saturday morning, a day after National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

"There were no homecomings for them or even the solace of a flag-draped casket," said National D-Day Memorial President April Cheek-Messier.

Speakers read the names of more than 200 Virginians who have become POW/MIAs since World War II. The list includes Bobbie Ray Daniels, a Bedford man who went missing while serving with the Army during the Korean War.

Daniels' nephew, also named Bobby Daniels in remembrance of the veteran, laid a wreath at the National D-Day Memorial's ceremony.

"For each name on that list, there's someone who feels the same way about that name as I do about my uncle's name," Daniels said. "What we need to do is remember these names and remember what they sacrificed for us."