The annual POW/MIA run, taking place this Friday, has special significance this year for ISU ROTC students who could see combat in the near future.

“We plan on going on active duty some day,” said Louis Kishkunas, Air Force ROTC group commander and senior in political science.

“Some of us want to make careers out of the military. We could end up prisoners of war or missing in action, so Friday definitely has a lot of significance for us.”

Air Force ROTC members will run more than 30 miles between Des Moines and Ames on Friday morning in remembrance of all American soldiers held as prisoners of war or considered missing in action.

The run, part of the National POW/MIA Recognition Day Ceremony, is planned to start at the state capital at 8:45 after which Executive Director for the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs Patrick J. Palmersheim will read a proclamation in support of POW/MIAs.

According to CNN.com, a single American soldier is currently listed as a prisoner of war – Sgt. Keith M. Maupin was listed missing after a fuel convoy was attacked near Baghdad International Airport by Iraqi insurgents using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire on April 9, 2004. A videotape broadcast by Al-Jazeera on April 16 showed Maupin being held hostage by Iraqi insurgents. The Pentagon later changed his status to captured. Maupin was promoted in absentia on May 1, 2004. On June 28, 2004, Al-Jazeera reported that it had received a statement and a videotape from militants who claimed to have killed Maupin. U.S. officials, however, were unable to identify the man as Maupin and he remains listed as captured. Eight previously POW/MIA soldiers have been rescued since hostilities began in 2003.

Kishkunas said he hopes Friday’s ceremony will raise awareness of the sacrifice made by prisoners of war.

“On a day like Friday, I want people to stop and think about this sacrifice,” Kishkunas said. “Not only did these men and women give up their lives, but they spent their last days captured by an enemy. They gave up their freedom. It’s our duty to honor these people.”

Ryan Jahnke, Air Force ROTC cadet and senior in aerospace engineering, said the day reminds cadets of a promise they will be given when they go on active duty.

“Once I become an active Air Force officer, I take an oath to give my life in defense of this country if need be,” Jahnke said. “In return, I get a promise that all efforts will be made to bring me back if I’m captured or killed in a conflict.”

Kishkunas said the cadets will follow a specific routine during the ceremony.

“A group of cadets will carry the proclamation halfway to Ames then hand it to another group of cadets who will take it the rest of the way to Ames,” Kishkunas said.

“The last group will place the proclamation on a table in the Gold Star Hall of the Memorial Union,” he said.

The cadets plan on returning from their run around 3:30 p.m.

Kishkunas said at 4 p.m. state senator Chuck Larson will give a speech in the Campanile Room, followed by a flag lowering ceremony by the Air Force ROTC on central campus.

ROTC spoke on Tuesday with two cadets from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, a military organization assigned to search for and identify captured or dead soldiers.

“They said they’ll do everything possible to keep the promise we’re given,” Jahnke said, “and that’s important to all of us.”

Matt Douglas, Air Force ROTC cadet and junior in psychology, said the run between Des Moines and Ames has become a tradition the cadets are proud of.

“Our detachment has done this for a number of years now,” he said. “It’s a great way to bring everyone together to build camaraderie and show respect for POWs.”

Douglas said he hopes as many people as possible turn out to watch the ceremony.

“We need ceremonies like this to honor our comrades,” he said. “It’s the most respectful thing we can do.”

According to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Web site, one U.S. soldier is still missing from the Gulf War, more than 1,800 are missing from the Vietnam War, 120 soldiers are still unaccounted for from the Cold War era, 8,100 are missing from the Korean War and more than 78,000 are still unaccounted for from World War II.