When I was a kid my grandmother and both parents wore POW/MIA bracelets. I wanted one for myself when I got to be about 11 or 12 years old. I decided that I wanted a random name but a Marine as my father was (and still is) in the Marine Corps. I received a bracelet with the name of Sgt Samuel E. Hewitt. I lost the bracelet a few years later while swimming in the ocean but I never forgot the name. I took many trips to The Wall in D.C. and got rubbings of his name each time. I went off and joined the Marines myself and did two tours in Iraq. No matter how much I had going on, his name was never far from my thoughts. I made a promise to Sgt Hewitt some years ago to never forget. I never have and I never will. With or without a bracelet. The POW/MIA bracelet is just a reminder to others and to their families that they will never be forgotten.
In the 1970's, we wore Prisoner of War (P.O.W.) bracelets. Today, we also keep others in our memories; Victims of Terrorism and Military Casualties. To keep the memory alive of those who have died at the hands of terrorists or fighting terrorism, we now also wear Memorial Bracelets. People from all over the country are wearing bracelets from Memorial Bracelets located at www.memorialbracelets.com for their own very personal reasons. Below are some of the stories that we have received.
Bless your heart. I too wear Sammy's bracelet as he was a childhood friend of mine. We grew up in Indiana and Sam was so young when he went missing, but definitely one of America's finest. I think about him each day and wished for many years he would somehow turn up somewhere, somehow. I will never give up hoping, but he is in my heart and it's nice to know he is in yours as well.
ReplyDeleteMerilee Fritz Venticinque
Toms River, New Jersey