POW bracelet
Encyclopedia
A POW bracelet is a nickel-plated or copper commemorative bracelet engraved with the name, rank, and loss date of an American serviceman captured
or missing during the Vietnam War
.
The bracelets were first created by a California student group called Voices in Vital America with the intention that American POWs in Vietnam not be forgotten. The bracelets sold for $2.50 or $3.00. Those who wore the bracelets vowed to leave them on until the soldier named on the bracelet, or their remains, were returned to America.
Between 1970 and 1976 approximately 5 million bracelets were distributed.
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
or missing during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
The bracelets were first created by a California student group called Voices in Vital America with the intention that American POWs in Vietnam not be forgotten. The bracelets sold for $2.50 or $3.00. Those who wore the bracelets vowed to leave them on until the soldier named on the bracelet, or their remains, were returned to America.
Between 1970 and 1976 approximately 5 million bracelets were distributed.