Wikipedia

POW bracelet

A POW bracelet, also known as a POW/MIA bracelet, is a nickel-plated or copper commemorative bracelet engraved with the rank, name, and loss date of an American servicemen captured or missing in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

POW bracelet commemorating an American non-commissioned officer missing since 1966.

History

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The POW bracelet was conceived in 1970 by Carol Cates Brown and Kay Hunter, members of the California-based student group Voices in Vital America (VIVA),[1] with the intention that American prisoners of war in Southeast Asia not be forgotten.[2] Those who wore the bracelets vowed to leave them on until the serviceman named on the bracelet, or their remains, were returned to the United States,[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.[2] Politicians, entertainers, and models wore the bracelets.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "History of the POW/MIA Bracelet" by Carol Bates Brown: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  2. ^ a b Allen, Michael J. Until the Last Man Comes Home. The University of North Carolina Press, 2009. Pages 57–59.
  3. ^ a b Morris, Bernadine. Bracelet That Stands for a Cause, The New York Times 17 June 1972.
  4. ^ "POW Bracelets".
  5. ^ "The Right Thing: The things we carry: A POW bracelet, a Medal of Honor recipient, and how the two came together". November 8, 2011.
  6. ^ Krietemeyer, Janet J. (September 5, 1993). "Fad bracelet becomes a friend". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 17, 2023.

Further reading

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  • Appy, Christian G. Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides. Viking. 2003, pp. 489–492.
  • 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, p. 51.
  • Hesse, Rayner W. Jewelrymaking Through History: An Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 200, p. 30.
  • Holsinger, M. P. (1999). War and American popular culture: A historical encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, pp. 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, p. 181
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