Gov. Henry McMaster orders flags be flown at half-staff Friday for National POW/MIA Recognition Day

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD)- Governor Henry McMaster (R) has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff Friday at all state buildings, grounds, and military installations in South Carolina.

The governor requested that flags be lowered in observance of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which falls annually on the third Friday in September.

Established through a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, National POW/MIA Recognition Day honors Americans who were prisoners of war and those who served but never returned home.

“During National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we recognize the absolute bravery of our Nation’s service members who are missing and unaccounted for, and we recommit to bringing them home,” President Joe Biden wrote in a Sept. 19 proclamation. “We offer gratitude and steadfast support for their families, who have given so much to our Nation. We also honor the service and sacrifice of former prisoners of war. And we remember that the truest testimonial to their sacrifice is doing our part to ensure that our democracy and the soul of our Nation endure.”

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPPA), more than 81,000 Americans remain missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and other conflicts since 1991.

The DPPA indicates at least 839 service members from South Carolina remain unaccounted for from those wars.

“…we honor our nation’s brave servicemembers who were prisoners of war and those who never returned home,” Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) wrote on X. “May we never forget their sacrifices and continue to keep them in our prayers.”

“Everyday [sic] we pray to return each hero home and stand with those families who continue to wait,” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) wrote.

Flags will be flown at half-staff from sunrise until sunset in accordance with Gov. McMaster’s proclamation.