The Capitol will soon have a permanent commemoration to prisoners of war and servicemen and women missing in action.  

On Wednesday morning, the House Administration Committee approved a resolution that would direct the Architect of the Capitol to obtain and display a chair in the Capitol building that features the National League of POW/MIA Families logo. “They deserve to be honored, they need to be honored, in the U.S. Capitol,” House Administration Chairwoman Candice S. Miller, R-Mich., said at the markup.  

The development marks the end of a more than year-long effort to instill the chair in the Capitol. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-Mass, first introduced the measure in August 2014  after meeting with Joe D’Entremont, president of a Massachusetts Rolling Thunder chapter, which advocates for POW/MIA issues.  

On July 30, Lynch wrote a “Dear Colleague” letter urging members to support his bill.  

“These brave men and women served our nation with valor and honor,” Lynch wrote. “This commemorative chair will serve as a reminder to our POW/MIA and their families that we will never forget them.”  

At the Wednesday hearing, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., also encouraged the committee to honor the only prisoner of war serving in the House, Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, who was held as a prisoner in Hanoi for nearly seven years during the Vietnam War.  

Related:
McCain Awards Service Medal to World War II POW

See photos, follies, HOH Hits and Misses and more at Roll Call’s new video site.


Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.