VFW Post 475 marks National POW/MIA Recognition Day

VFW Post 475 held a vigil Friday evening to remember American service members who were held as prisoners of war or who remain missing in action.

The event marked National POW/MIA Recognition Day. VFW members kept vigil for 12 hours on Newark's Academy Lawn, concluding with a brief ceremony featuring the playing of "Taps" and remarks from Retired Brig. Gen. Terry Wiley.

There are more than 81,000 American service members still missing and unaccounted for around the world.

The event also spotlighted the work of Project Recover, a non-governmental organization co-founded by University of Delaware professor Mark Moline.

The organization has conducted MIA search and recovery missions underwater and on land in more than 20 countries.