Fall River holds POW/MIA recognition ceremony Sept. 19; names read, proclamation delivered

Fall River held a POW/MIA recognition ceremony Sept. 19, 2025, at the Vietnam Memorial Wall and Veterans Memorial Bicentennial Park, where local veterans, city officials and family members read the names of service members listed as missing and heard a presidential proclamation read aloud.

The event commemorated prisoners of war and those missing in action and included a formal reading of a White House proclamation, a poem, the recitation of names from the memorial and closing prayers. Organizers and speakers used the ceremony to reaffirm continuing efforts to locate and repatriate missing service members.

"There are about 1,566 still missing in action," said Justin Lattini, president of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 207, during opening remarks. Lattini also noted that "since June 2025, we returned five Air Force veterans who were killed in the mid‑1960s in Vietnam," and said the group will wait to perform full military honors until remains are returned: "Our veterans are not home yet, and we will wait until they come home and give them the proper military honors that they deserve."

Harry Tripp, treasurer of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 207, read a White House proclamation in which President Donald J. Trump "do[es] hereby proclaim Sept. 19, 2025, as National POW/MIA Recognition Day," calling on government and private organizations to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies. The proclamation, presented at the ceremony, reiterated a federal commitment to locating and accounting for missing personnel.

Talos Ferris, veteran service officer for Fall River, delivered remarks and read a poem written for the occasion, including the repeated line, "you are not forgotten," a refrain he used to emphasize remembrance and community responsibility to families of the missing. Mayor Paul Coogan thanked attendees, noted Fall River's designation as a Purple Heart City and said the community stands behind gold star families: "For families who are missing someone today, we stand behind you," Coogan said, citing a remark by the late Senator John McCain that "no man can always stand alone."

Ceremony elements included the reading of names from the memorial by local readers, the laying of a wreath and opening and closing prayers led by clergy. Organizers explained that some names on the wall are listed as "missing in action" and that, because of circumstances such as deep water and time, many remains may not be recoverable but that efforts to bring service members home continue.

The event closed with a prayer by Reverend Rob and a call to continued remembrance and action to account for missing service members. No formal actions, votes or policy decisions were taken at the ceremony.