A POW bracelet (or POW/MIA bracelet) is a nickel-plated or copper commemorative bracelet engraved with the rank, name, and loss date of an American serviceman captured or missing during the Vietnam War.[1]
The bracelets were first created in May 1970 by a California student group called Voices in Vital America (VIVA),[2] with the intention that American prisoners of war in Vietnam not be forgotten.[1] Those who wore the bracelets vowed to leave them on until the soldier named on the bracelet, or their remains, were returned to America.[3] with the idea of returning the bracelet to the returning prisoner.[4][5][6]
The bracelets, which cost 30 cents to produce, sold for $2.50 or $3.00 and increased VIVA's income to more than $7 million by 1973. Between 1970 and 1973, approximately 4 million bracelets were distributed.[1] Politicians, entertainers, and models wore the bracelets.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Allen, Michael J. Until the Last Man Comes Home. The University of North Carolina Press, 2009. Pages 57–59.
- ^ "History of the POW/MIA Bracelet" by Carol Bates Brown: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- ^ a b Morris, Bernadine. Bracelet That Stands for a Cause, The New York Times 17 June 1972.
- ^ "POW Bracelets".
- ^ "The Right Thing: The things we carry: A POW bracelet, a Medal of Honor recipient, and how the two came together". 8 November 2011.
- ^ Krietemeyer, Janet J. (1993-09-05). "Fad bracelet becomes a friend". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
Further reading[edit]
- Hawley, Thomas M. The Remains of War: Bodies, Politics, and the Search for American Soldiers Unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Durham: Duke University Press, 2005. Page 51.
- Hesse, Rayner W. Jewelrymaking Through History: An Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2007. Page 30.
- Holsinger, M. P. (1999). War and American popular culture: A historical encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Page 409–410.
- Wiest, A. A., Barbier, M., & Robins, G. (2010). America and the Vietnam War: Re-examining the culture and history of a generation. New York: Routledge. Page 181
- Appy, Christian G. Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides. Viking. 2003. Pages 489–492.
External links[edit]
Media related to POW bracelet at Wikimedia Commons
