National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2026

Proclamation 11068 of September 16, 2026

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, 2026

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The glorious liberty that makes America the envy of the
world has been secured and sustained by brave and
selfless patriots from every war and conflict since the
founding of our Republic. On National POW/MIA
Recognition Day, we pause to pay everlasting tribute to
the defenders of freedom who were imprisoned on foreign
soil and endured brutal treatment and unimaginable
horrors while held in captivity and the approximately
80,000 souls still missing in action.

Today and every day, the POW/MIA flag is proudly
displayed above the White House and alongside the Stars
and Stripes at designated Federal office buildings
nationwide. The distinctive black and white banner
bearing the words ``You Are Not Forgotten'' stands as a
righteous covenant that our Government will never
abandon those who took an oath to defend the
Constitution and as a visible reminder that this sacred
mission is not complete until all our service members
are repatriated.

The relentless efforts of the Defense POW/MIA
Accounting Agency (DPAA) to achieve the fullest
possible accounting of all missing warriors are
critical to families searching for answers, and they
teach future generations the gravity of what was given
and lost on their behalf and our moral obligation to
never leave an American behind. Last month, DPAA
reached a significant milestone with its 800th
identification of remains from the Korean War. Every
final homecoming brings an end to the agonizing,
decades-long vigil of uncertainty for the bereaved
family and the opportunity for a grateful Nation to
bestow burial honors worthy of the sacrifice made for
freedom's cause.

The name, story, and fate of each POW/MIA are integral
to America's legacy of valor, and my Administration
will spare no effort or resource to fulfill our promise
to those who answered the call to serve and paid an
extraordinary price on battlefields and in captivity
around the world.

On this solemn day of remembrance, the First Lady joins
me in recognizing the uncommon resilience, faith, and
resolve of the men and women of our Armed Forces who
were taken prisoner; those who remain missing; and the
loved ones who wait and pray for their fallen hero to
come home. America is forever indebted for these
incalculable sacrifices, and until the last name is
accounted for, we will never forget.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim September 18, 2026,
as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and fifty-
first.