POW/MIA event set for Friday, rain permitting

American Flag

In many cases, they have grandchildren or even great-grandchildren they never met, but a local veterans group hopes never to let their names be forgotten.

Weather permitting, the Veterans Park of America will host a live reading of all 38 names of North Carolina’s remaining POW/MIAs Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the park. 

The annual event is a tradition here, and honors all those whose families still don’t know what happened to their soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who served in combat. 

The event was moved to the park in part to better enable social distancing. 

The park’s Field of Flags display will be up for the weekend, honoring not just the POW/MIAs but all servicemen and -women from all eras. Park volunteer Angela Norris said National POW/MIA Day is often forgotten.

The event is usually held at the old Courthouse in Whiteville, and features a table with an empty chair and symbolic elements of POW/MIAs.

Norris said that if the remnants of Hurricane Sally persist, the event will be rescheduled.

For more information, call 840.3048.

Among North Carolina’s known Prisoners of War and Missing in Action servicemen are:

Andrew Johnson Craven, U.S. Army, Wilmington

Frederick Lewis Cristman, U.S. Army, Salisbury

Robert Lee Curlee Jr., U.S. Army, Monroe

Harold Lee Harris, U.S. Army, Durham

Luther Harris Howard, U.S. Army, Hamlet

Larry C. Jamerson, U.S. Army, Rosman

William D. Johnson, U.S. Army, Rocky Mount

Charlie Gray Lewis, U.S. Army, Fayetteville

James M. Luttrell, U.S. Army, Fayetteville

Jerry L. Moore, U.S. Army, Cleveland

Larry K. Morrow, U.S. Army, Lowell

Dennis William Omelia, U.S. Army, Smithfield

Robert Milton Staton Jr., U.S. Army, Jamesville

Jimmy L.Watson, U.S. Army, Lucama

Melvin Lee Weaks, U.S. Army, Concord

Robert Douglas Avery, U.S. Marines, Morganton

Joseph N. Hargrove, U.S. Marines, Mount Olive

Wayne V. Wilson, U.S. Marines, Thomasville

Harry John Belknap, U.S. Marines, Jonas Ridge

Eric Parker Brice, U.S. Navy, Rocky Mount

Edward Dean Brown Jr., U.S. Navy, Charlotte

Franklin Harlee Canup, Jr. U.S. Navy, Concord

Paul Edwin Gore, U.S. Navy, Faison

Litchfield Patterson Huie, U.S. Navy, Warsaw

Larry Gene Lewis, U.S. Navy, Asheville

Walter Sutton Wood, U.S. Navy, Fort Bragg

Murray Lyman Borden, U.S. Air Force, Goldsboro

Fred Lee Clarke, U.S. Air Force, Troutman

Glenn Richard Cook, U.S. Air Force, Charlotte

John Hunter Crews II, U.S. Air Force, Asheville

Robin F. Gatwood Jr., U.S. Air Force, Hickory

Connie Mack Gravitte, U.S. Air Force, Ca-Vel

Fredrick M. Hall, U.S. Air Force, Waynesville

Carter A. Howell, U.S. Air Force, Fayetteville

John Lewis McDaniel, U.S. Air Force, Gibsonville

Edwin D. Palmgren, U.S. Air Force, Winston-Salem

William Carl Sutton, U.S. Air Force, Goldsboro

Phillip Rogerson Wellons, U.S. Air Force, Raleigh

About Jefferson Weaver 1928 Articles
Jefferson Weaver is the Managing Editor of Columbus County News and he can be reached at (910) 914-6056, (910) 632-4965, or by email at [email protected].