News Release

2019 National POW/MIA Recognition Day

Robert Certain

News Release Date: September 4, 2019

Contact: Jennifer Hopkins, 229-924-0343 ext. 201

National POW/MIA Recognition Day
Annual Convocation, guest speakers, and Avenue of Flags to honor POWs and MIAs

ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia – National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day is Friday, September 20, 2019. In honor of that day, the National Park Service, The Ride Home, the Friends of Andersonville, and Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) will present special programs on Wednesday, September 18, and Friday, September 20.

Featured speaker Colonel Robert Certain (ret.) will be the guest speaker for both the convocation on Wednesday and the event on Friday. The 2019 National POW/MIA Convocation will be held at 11:00 a.m. on September 18 in the Storm Dome on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University. The public is invited to this free program.

Born in Savannah, Georgia, Robert G. Certain graduated from Emory University in Atlanta with a degree in History and a commission in the US Air Force. As a B-52 navigator he flew 100 missions over Southeast Asia in 1971 and 1972. He was shot down and captured in December 1972 and held as a POW until the war ended. Following the Vietnam War, he attended the School of Theology, an Episcopal Church seminary in Sewanee, Tennessee, and was ordained as a priest in 1976 after he received his Master of Divinity degree. In 1990, he was awarded his Doctor of Ministry degree from the School of Theology and served as a military chaplain in the Air Force. When former President Gerald R. Ford died in late 2006, Col. Certain led all the memorial services and presided at his burial in Michigan. Today, Col. Certain serves as the National Commander of the American Ex-Prisoners of War (AXPOW) organization.

The annual Convocation begins four days of area events held in honor of National POW/MIA Recognition Day. The Avenue of Flags, a stirring spectacle of over 200 full-sized flags, will be on display at Andersonville National Historic Site until September 26 and will feature POW/MIA flags as well as American and state flags. The Ride Home, a nonprofit organization, will host several ceremonies in Warner Robins to remember military service members still listed as MIA and to honor former POWs.

At 9:30 a.m. on Friday, September 20, The Ride Home and Andersonville National Historic Site will join together to conduct a special ceremony at the park’s National Prisoner of War Museum. Along with guest speaker Robert Certain, former WWII POW Bill Grafton will discuss his experience being held a prisoner of war by the Germans. Also coming to share the story of her brother who went MIA during the Korean War, is guest speaker Sharon Streetman Ray.

“National POW/MIA Recognition Day is one of our most important annual events,” said Acting Park Superintendent Jody Mays. “As the home of the National Prisoner of War Museum, our mission is to ensure that the sacrifice and legacy of American POWs will never be forgotten. We are honored to pay tribute to the American men and women who endured the loss of their freedom to protect ours.”

For information about the Convocation or National Prisoner of War Museum Ceremony, please contact Andersonville National Historic Site. For information on all events occurring as part of The Ride Home 2019, please check their website at www.theridehome.com.

Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of Americus, GA on Georgia Highway 49. The national park features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery and the site of the historic Civil War prison, Camp Sumter. ­Andersonville National Historic Site is the only national park within the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Park grounds are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with the museum open from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. For more information on the park, call 229 924-0343, visit on the web at www.nps.gov/ande/, or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/AndersonvilleNPS

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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.