Grand Forks AFB honors national POW/MIA day Published Sept. 19, 2023 By A1C Anthony Nunez-Pellicer 319th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, Nd. -- Several members of 319th Reconnaissance Wing leadership and volunteers participated in the annual national POW/MIA run at Grand Forks Air Force Base, Sept. 15, 2023. The event had several enlisted members, officers and volunteers running in one-hour intervals for 24 hours, to honor the sacrifice made by fellow military members in the line of duty who will never be forgotten. “We chose to honor National POW/MIA Recognition Day with a 24-hour vigil run because the structure of the run makes the participants reflect on the sacrifices of the people they’re honoring,” said Airman 1st Class Samuel Kouder, 319th Mission Operational Support Squadron Airfield Forecaster and event coordinator for the POW/MIA run. “Many POWs and MIA endured extreme conditions for extended periods with no end in sight. Thinking of the sacrifices that POW/MIAs made puts what is seemingly a daunting physical task in perspective.” National POW/MIA day is held each year on the third Friday of September. The day honors the sacrifices made by military members who were prisoners of war or went missing and were never located, becoming missing in action status. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, more than 83,000 service members who are MIA or POW status are from spanning from World War II onwards. The majority of which are missing directly from World War II. Today is especially important for North Dakota residents as one of our own, Maj. Martin William Steen, a pilot for the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron during the Vietnam War, is to this day, unaccounted for. Steen entered the Air Force from North Dakota and while serving in the Vietnam War on May 31, 1966, he was on an armed reconnaissance mission over enemy targets in North Vietnam. After making a pass over the target, Capt Steen radioed that he had been hit, and that he was unable to control his aircraft so he would eject. The other pilots observed Capt Steen's ejection and notified search and rescue aircraft immediately. A rescue helicopter arrived and lowered a pararescue man to Steen's landing area and located the downed pilot's parachute and harness in the trees, however, no sign of Capt Steen was found and continued search efforts failed to locate him. His remains were never recovered. Following the incident, the Air Force promoted Steen to the rank of Major. Today, Steen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. “National POW/MIA Recognition Day is a day for the Air Force to reflect on the human costs of accomplishing the mission. The goal-focused, disciplined nature of the Air Force can make it seem unfeeling at times. But, reflecting on the sacrifices and remembering the stories of the people who, in many cases, gave everything in pursuit of the mission is an inherently human and emotional pursuit,” said Kouder. “I think reflecting on POW/MIAs helps the Air Force maintain an air of humanity.” Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website - Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Special thanks to all volunteers: Master Sgt. Thomas Waters Tech. Sgt. Dallas Malone Kyle Slivnik Senior Airman Matthew Evans Airman 1st Class Samuel Kouder Senior Airman Lorenz Abigail Go Airman 1st Class Nicollette Stanciulescu Airman 1st Class Salaphaty Marrao Lt. Col. William Bentley Staff Sgt. Jaime Garcia Marcus Carpenter Senior Airman Terrick Wilson Erica Flickinger Senior Airman Savannah Marks Airman 1st Class Julius Ceaser Evangelista Lt. Col. Luke Kaspari Chief Master Sgt. Kathleen May POW/MIA -You Are Not Forgotten.