On National POW/MIA Recognition Day we honor all those who were prisoners of war and those missing in action while defending the United States.

Thousands of U.S. service members remain missing, leaving loved ones without closure. Of those, approximately 200 Medal of Honor Recipients are known to have become prisoners of war and some of them received the Medal of Honor for actions they carried our while prisoners. Another 77 Recipients remain missing in action. Learn more below:

Prisoners of War

The first prisoners of war presented with the Medal of Honor were 19 men who participated in what has become known as Andrew’s Raiders during the Civil War. This was an espionage mission deep in Confederate territory to destroy a main railroad line between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. All 24 men involved were captured by Confederate forces on April 24, 1862. Eight were executed. The others escaped or were exchanged as prisoners of war.

At least 13 Medals of Honor have been presented to service members for their actions while a POW, from the Civil War to Vietnam. These include: Andrew Traynor from the Civil War, who fought his captors and allowed a group of captured prisoners to escape; Tibor Rubin, a Holocaust survivor who nursed and inspired other POWs during the Korean War; and Humbert “Rocky” Versace and Lance Sijan, whose resistance to the North Vietnamese attempts to break their will inspired other prisoners to resist as well.

Like 12 other Medal of Honor Recipients, Versace and Sijan died in POW camps. Willibald Bianchi was a POW during WWII when the boat where he was held prisoner sank in the Pacific Ocean. During the Civil War, soldiers James S. Hill and Lorenzo Denning died in Confederate POW camps.

Some Recipients were taken prisoner during their Medal of Honor action. Hiroshi Miyamura, one of these men, was captured after covering the withdrawal of his unit during the Korean War. His Medal of Honor award was kept quiet until his release from a prisoner of war camp.

In the Civil War, Bernard Harley and Henry Wilkes were part of the crew of a small picket boat trusted to sneak up on an important Confederate boat, the CSS Albemarle, and sink it. The picket boat had a torpedo at the end of a long pole, which needed to be rammed into the Albemarle. The crew succeeded in their mission, but all were captured or killed. Harley and Wilkes survived, but spent time as Confederate prisoners.

Missing in Action

Seventy-seven Medal of Honor Recipients remain Missing in Action to this day, resulting from their military service. Some were most likely killed in action but the fate of others is unknown.

While trying to jettison depth charges and save his ship, Osmond K. Ingram was blown overboard by a torpedo during WWI. Michael J. Estocin, a Navy pilot, crashed into the ground near Haiphong, North Vietnam, after carrying out his mission despite his his plane sustaining heavy damage. Leonard F. Mason, U.S. Marine, disappeared during battle in Guam during WWII. George Watson went down with his ship during WWII after helping save the lives of those who could not swim.

Lee H. Phillips is believed to be buried in an unknown grave along with other Marines at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Charles Loring, Jr., a veteran of WWII and an Air Force pilot, dove his plane into enemy emplacements in Korea, saving U.S. lives. Fernando L. Garcia’s remains were not recovered after he threw himself on a grenade during the Korean War to save the lives of other Marines. Also during that conflict, Charles L. Gilliland, Frederick F. Henry, and Frank N. Mitchell remained behind on the front lines to cover their unit’s withdraw from oncoming enemy elements. None were ever recovered.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society salutes all these brave service members.

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About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor, inspiring America to live the values the Medal represents, and supporting Recipients of the Medal as they connect with communities across America.

Chartered by Congress in 1958, its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. There are fewer than 70 living Recipients.

The Society carries out its mission through outreach, education and preservation programs, including the Medal of Honor Museum, Medal of Honor Outreach Programs, the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, and the Medal of Honor Citizen Honors Awards for Valor and Service. The Society’s programs and operations are funded by donations.

As part of Public Law 106-83, the Medal of the Honor Memorial Act, the Medal of Honor Museum, which is co-located with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s headquarters on board the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was designated as one of three national Medal of Honor sites.

Learn more about the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s initiatives at cmohs.org.