A POW bracelet (or POW/MIA bracelet) is a nickel-plated or copper commemorative bracelet engraved with the rank, name, and loss date of an American serviceman captured or missing during the Vietnam War.[1]
The bracelets were first created in May 1970 by a California student group called Voices in Vital America (VIVA),[2] with the intention that American prisoners of war in Vietnam not be forgotten.[1] Those who wore the bracelets vowed to leave them on until the soldier named on the bracelet, or their remains, were returned to America.[3] with the idea of returning the bracelet to the returning prisoner.[4][5][6]
The bracelets, which cost 30 cents to produce, sold for $2.50 or $3.00 and increased VIVA's income to more than $7 million by 1973. Between 1970 and 1973, approximately 4 million bracelets were distributed.[1] Politicians, entertainers, and models wore the bracelets.[3]
YouTube Encyclopedic
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Video Medley: National POW/MIA Bracelet Stories
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Not Forgotten: A POW/MIA Bracelet Story
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POW/MIA Bracelets - The Wall That Heals exhibit
Transcription
See also
References
- ^ a b c Allen, Michael J. Until the Last Man Comes Home. The University of North Carolina Press, 2009. Pages 57–59.
- ^ "History of the POW/MIA Bracelet" by Carol Bates Brown: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- ^ a b Morris, Bernadine. Bracelet That Stands for a Cause, The New York Times 17 June 1972.
- ^ "POW Bracelets".
- ^ "The Right Thing: The things we carry: A POW bracelet, a Medal of Honor recipient, and how the two came together". 8 November 2011.
- ^ Krietemeyer, Janet J. (1993-09-05). "Fad bracelet becomes a friend". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
Further reading
- Hawley, Thomas M. The Remains of War: Bodies, Politics, and the Search for American Soldiers Unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Durham: Duke University Press, 2005. Page 51.
- Hesse, Rayner W. Jewelrymaking Through History: An Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2007. Page 30.
- Holsinger, M. P. (1999). War and American popular culture: A historical encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Page 409–410.
- Wiest, A. A., Barbier, M., & Robins, G. (2010). America and the Vietnam War: Re-examining the culture and history of a generation. New York: Routledge. Page 181
- Appy, Christian G. Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides. Viking. 2003. Pages 489–492.
External links
Media related to POW bracelet at Wikimedia Commons
This page was last edited on 24 January 2024, at 14:27