Socks in September - It's Personal

September 18, 2020 is a day that you will probably not see listed on your

calendar. But Veterans and military families know it is a day to honor those

military personnel who were POW ‘s (Prisoners of War) and those approximately

82,000 who are still MIA’s (Missing in Action).

The DPAA (Defense POW Accounting Agency) through their state-of-the-art

facility in Hawaii spends every day identifying the remains of our service

members. Their goal is to bring closure to family members and give these

HEROES an honorable burial. The DPAA has determined the number of

unaccounted for service members by conflict as follows:

WWII 72,455

Korea 7,578

Vietnam 1,694

Cold War 126

Other conflicts 6

For me this day has a personal meaning. My father, 15 th Air Force S/Sgt Hugh D.

Borden was shot down on April 22, 1944. He was a POW in Stalag Luft 3,

Germany until the camp was liberated as WWII ended. His B-24 carried a crew of

ten. Seven of those men didn’t make it home. Thankfully my father came home

to his family and then served his country through the Korean Conflict and a tour in

Vietnam. He is my Hero.

I am privileged to have the diary he wrote while he was a POW. Two themes run

throughout his entries –

I am hungry and my feet are cold.

So in honor of my dad and all others who served, we are again collecting socks for

our local Veterans who need a helping hand. All shelters will tell you that socks is

the most requested item from their clients. Last year – due to some super

partners like the Lions, Honorary Commanders, St Thomas Aquinas Blue Star

Moms and many individuals too numerous to mention – we collected close to

5,000 pairs of socks.

This year we are adding men’s briefs and t-shirts to our wish list. Sizes M, L, XL

are the most common. Please share with your family members, co-workers and

help us ensure that our veterans are not forgotten.

“As Americans, we must never forget those who have served for our freedoms.”

Hopefully on September 18th , you will see a POW*MIA flag flying and you can join

me in the HONOR Salute:

“ Rest your hand over your heart – to display your honor and respect for every

Veteran’s service, to display our sorrow for the absence of some and maintain

our pledge that THEY WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN”.

Download and Share our Sock Drive Flyer

3rd Annual Sock Drive

.pdf

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