College of the Ozarks is marking National POW/MIA Recognition Day while preparing to dedicate a permanent memorial honoring American service members who were prisoners of war or remain missing in action.
The new POW/MIA Memorial will be dedicated Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. in Patriots Park on the Point Lookout campus.
College officials say the memorial will give students, visitors and members of the community a place to remember those who endured captivity and those who never returned home.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed each year on the third Friday in September. The day honors former prisoners of war, those still listed as missing, and the families who continue to wait for answers.
The memorial also builds on a distinction the College received three years ago.
In 2023, College of the Ozarks became the first college to receive the designation of a POW/MIA Campus. The designation was presented by the Board of Directors of the Jefferson Barracks POW/MIA Museum during a ceremony at Patriots Park.
The College also flies the familiar black-and-white POW/MIA flag on campus as a daily reminder of those who have not returned home.
Chassidy Brittain, director of patriotic activities at College of the Ozarks, said the new memorial will make that commitment more visible.
“Being designated a POW/MIA Campus is a powerful commitment, and this new memorial makes that commitment visible and permanent, not just a title,” Brittain said.
She said the memorial will give students and visitors a place to reflect, learn and remember those who endured captivity as well as those who remain unaccounted for.
The Nov. 5 dedication will give the College and surrounding community a chance to come together and remember those who were held as prisoners of war and those who remain missing.
Once completed, the memorial will remain a permanent part of Patriots Park and the College's efforts to teach future generations about the sacrifices made by American service members.
Its message is the same one carried by the POW/MIA flag for generations: “You Are Not Forgotten.”
