The Commonwealth’s National POW/MIA Recognition Day will be observed Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond as a day-long open house.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day is an annual observance held on the third Friday of September to honor and remember the American service members who were Prisoners of War (POWs) and those who never returned home and were designated as Missing in Action (MIAs).
Members of the public are invited and encouraged to visit the Virginia War Memorial on this day of remembrance. Admission and parking at the Virginia War Memorial are free.
More than 80,000 American men and women are still listed as MIAs from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and other conflicts.
Of these, nearly 1,300 are Virginians.
Attendees can visit the Memorial’s major exhibit “Virginia’s MIAs: The Search Continues,” which opened in 2025 and tells the personal stories of many of those who never returned and those still involved in searching the globe for missing Americans. Visitors may also view two of the War Memorial’s award-winning Virginians at War documentaries that cover POW experiences in World War II.
The inspiring “Missing Man Table” exhibit will also be set up and on display in the Memorial’s exhibit hall before, during, and after POW/MIA Recognition Day.