National POW/MIA Recognition Day

Senior Airman Brock Merriman, 62nd Maintenance Operations Squadron, right, points to Air Force memorabilia while providing former POW Wallace Tharp and his wife Anh with a tour of McChord's enlisted heritage room as part of the 62nd Airlift Wing's annual POW/MIA recognition luncheon Sept 17. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Abner Guzman)

Airmen honor former prisoners of war

Published Sept. 25, 2009
By Tyler Hemstreet
Staff writer

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- More than 60 former prisoners of war packed the McChord Clubs and Community Center ballroom Sept. 17 for the annual luncheon held in their honor. Each veteran was paired with an Airman for the duration of the event.

"There were a lot of good conversations going on throughout the lunch," said Senior Airman Keith Dengel, 62nd Communications Squadron, and member of the event committee.

Self-described history buff Tech. Sgt. Eric Uhl, 62nd Medical Squadron, forged a friendship with a 90-year-old World War II veteran he had the privilege of joining for the afternoon.

"The stories he told were amazing," said Sergeant Uhl of the man who was captured
in France and then moved to Germany as a POW. "Against the camp's rules, he still managed to keep a diary."

The veteran later turned the diary entries into a book, which he sent to Sergeant Uhl a week later with a handwritten thank you note.

"For these guys, (the lunch) is their event ... it's about them," Sergeant Uhl said. "You get to know them and they get to share so much interesting history."