ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- Today is National POW/MIA Recognition Day commemorating servicemembers who were prisoners of war as well as those who are still missing in action.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on September's third Friday every year. It's estimated that over 142,000 Americans have been interned as prisoners of war since World War I.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, there are nearly 81,000 Americans that have either been lost or never recovered from wars dating back to World War II. Then-President Jimmy Carter established National POW/MIA Recognition Day through a proclamation in 1979. This proclamation has been repeated by every president since.

"They're always in my memory because they're my fellow veterans and I truly wish for everything to be

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