All prisoners of war and those missing in action, past and present, will be recognized Friday.

“This is a special day for those who have perished in past wars and to pay respect to people who have given their sacrifices to us in the past and currently,” said Cadet 1st Lt. Jon O’Dell, junior in electrical engineering.

The organizations sponsoring the event are Arnold Air Society and the Air Force ROTC Detachment 250. There will be a variety of events to honor those men and women.

Activities will start at 9 a.m. at the War Memorial on the lawn of the Capitol in Des Moines. Gov. Tom Vilsack will issue an official proclamation, to be read by Secretary of State Chet Culver. The proclamation will represent Iowa’s observance of this year’s National POW/MIA Recognition Day.

From the Capitol on Friday, 15 to 20 ROTC cadets will take off for their 32-mile run to the center of Iowa State’s campus with the POW and American flag in hand. There will be two shifts of runners making the journey to Ames, and they will be represented by all four branches of the ROTC: Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy.

“I feel it is my personal duty and responsibility to run. It’s an important cause to me and it’s the least that I can do for these people,” said Cadet 2nd Lt. Max Bassman, sophomore in sociology.

The runners’ expected arrival is 2:15 p.m. at the Gold Star Room in the Memorial Union. The Gold Star Room is a memorial for all those who have died in wars. The POW flag will then be displayed on a table surrounded by lit candles. The candles will represent all the people who are still missing and prisoners of war.

“It’s good for us to show that we are still looking for people that are prisoners and missing. Nothing is over until everyone is accounted for,” said Maj. Peter Drenkow, junior in meteorology.

At 4:30 p.m. there will be a formal Tri-service retreat. All the Air Force cadets and their officers will be in attendance for a form-up (line up) and salute. The flag will be lowered and then folded while being accompanied by the appropriate music.

The retreat will also feature a fly-by of an F-16 from the 132 Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard. A fly-by is a sign of respect and recognition for the day.

A guest speaker, Hartley Westbrook, will end the day’s activities at 5 p.m. in Gilman Hall. Westbrook, an Army Air Corps B-24 pilot in World War II was captured when he was shot down on his 17th mission over the North Sea. He was held as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft III prison camp in Poland for two years.

The event is open to all people on campus and in the community.