Marin County's 2nd Annual POW/MIA Recognition Day

Marin County will hold its 2nd Annual POW/MIA Recognition Day on Saturday, Sept. 28th from 11 am - Noon at the Marin Co. Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Civic Center, San Rafael. A Vets Connect fair starts at 10 am, musical tribute at 10:30 am. A BBQ starts at noon with MC Michael Pritchard and live music by Travis Brass. A "Missing Man" Flyers takes place at 12:45 pm. FREE, everyone is welcome.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information:
September 25, 2013 Keith Woodcock

415-518-3900

email: robertkeithwoodcock [at] gmail.com

maasservices.org

Marin County to Host POW/MIA Recognition Day on Sept. 28
San Rafael, CA -- Marin County will host the 2nd Annual POW/MIA Recognition Day on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael. The event is free and open to the public, and is hosted by the Marin Alliance for the American Spirit (MAAS), a nonprofit dedicated to honoring active duty soldiers and veterans. The County of Marin is co-sponsoring the event.

A formal ceremony paying tribute to all veterans will take place from 11 a.m. to Noon. The formal ceremony speakers will include: LT. Col. Steve Countouriotis US Army (Ret), Mary Jane Burke, Marin County Superintendent of Schools, whose family member is MIA
and MORE! Music during the ceremony will be provided by Travis Brass with A1C George Brahler. There will be a Missing Man Flyover during the event to remember our fallen soldiers.
The solemn ceremony will be followed by a barbecue with live music provided by Doc Kraft’s Band. The barbeque social hour will be MC’d by renowned keynote speaker Michael Pritchard, a champion of nonprofit causes.
Organizations that provide services to vets and active-duty soldiers will have booths in the back lobby of the auditorium from 10-11 a.m. and 1-2 PM following the program. This will be the first “Veterans Connect” event to be hosted by Marin County and MAAS and will include Legal Aid of Marin, CalFresh, General Assistance, College of Marin, Marin Interfaith Council, Veterans Business Outreach Center and more.

In 1979, Congress passed a resolution authorizing National POW/MIA Recognition Day for Americans to remember the nation’s prisoners of war (POWs) and soldiers who are missing in action (MIAs) as well as their families. The President each year proclaims National POW/MIA Recognition Day on the third Friday of September. Local events are organized by veterans across the county. The POW/MIA flag, which pictures the silhouette of a soldier with the slogan, “You Are Not Forgotten,” is flown to mark the day.

The Dept. of Defense puts the total of MIAs at 87,000 and 142,000 POWS – 17,000 of whom died while interned – since World War II.

Supporters of the Sept. 28 event Marin Co. United Veterans Council, Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Army- National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, the Marin chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Blue Star Moms of Marin, the House of Steel Gym in San Rafael, U.S. Marine Corps, MarinLink, Woodlands Market, Mollie Stone’s Markets, United Markets, Bay City Riders, Red Cross, Salvation Army, DeNador & Associates, the Garbarino Family, and Ghilotti Brothers Inc.,

The mission of the nonprofit Marin Alliance for the American Spirit is to develop and present educational programs that foster patriotism and a sense of community, and to host events honoring active duty soldiers, veterans and their families. You can find MAAS on Facebook in addition to its website.

For more information contact MAAS President Keith Woodcock at 415 749-9430.
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