Vigil honors POW, MIA

Dressed in all white and seated in the front row, Frances Colletto attended her 30th vigil…

Robert Burke (left) and Ed Moors (right) of Pittsburgh-based Vietnam Veterans Inc. give the rifle salute for those soldiers missing in action or prisoner of war

Nishant Singh | Staff Photographer

Dressed in all white and seated in the front row, Frances Colletto attended her 30th vigil honoring prisoner of war and missing-in-action soldiers.

At 98, Colletto still feels it important for her to attend the ceremonies because she lost her son, Albert V. Colletto Jr., during the Vietnam War in 1969. She was the vigil’s oldest attendee and a favorite among the veterans, each of whom would stop to talk and thank her for coming.

“I feel obligated to all these boys who served with my son before he was killed,” Colletto said.

Vietnam Veterans Inc. held its 30th annual Prisoners of War/Missing in Action vigil at Soldiers & Sailors from noon Saturday until 2 p.m. Sunday. The event included an opening ceremony on Saturday afternoon, a candlelight vigil Saturday night and a closing ceremony Sunday afternoon. In addition to honoring past POWs, those at the vigil also took time to reflect on current issues facing veterans.

Colletto’s daughter, Carolyne Stewart, accompanies her mother every year.

“It’s beautiful,” Stewart said of the vigil. “It’s so good to know that they’re not forgotten.”

Vice President of Vietnam Veterans Inc. Bob Burke said the annual vigil is important to him because it shows him how much people care about America’s lost soldiers.

Vietnam Veterans Inc. President Greg Hogan elaborated.

“We hold the POW/MIA vigil to raise awareness for those who never came back from war,” he said.

Hogan manned a table at Soldiers & Sailors that sold merchandise to raise money for the organization. The non-profit group raises money throughout the year to help homeless veterans and patients at the VA hospital.

Hogan has been with the group since the beginning. Vietnam Veterans Inc. formed in 1981 when a group of veterans who met to talk to each other and share stories collaborated to create an official organization.

The group has held the vigil every year since its formation as a way of commemorating all prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action. This year about 450 people attended the two-day event.

“Our vigil for the POWs and the MIAs is not just for two days every September,” T.J. McGarvey, a Vietnam War veteran said. “It is constant.”

McGarvey, a Pitt alumnus, presented the closing remarks at the ceremony Sunday. He gave special thanks to ROTC members from Pitt and Duquesne University who helped to hold the flag at Soldiers & Sailors throughout the ceremony. McGarvey also recognized Goldstar Mothers and Wives – mothers and wives who have lost their husbands and sons in service.

The closing ceremony featured a musical performance by Emma Lee Hartle. She sang “The Wall,” a song she wrote as a reflection after visiting the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“It’s about those who are missing, those who have passed before and our children to whom we need to tell this story,” Hartle said before she began to sing.

Hartle attended the vigil to honor the victims of the Vietnam War. She said a lot of the soldiers never had a choice whether or not to fight and since the war, many have not received recognition. Hartle noted that a lot of Vietnam War veterans are homeless today.

“These are my people,” Hartle said of the Vietnam War veterans. “I say that because this conflict started when I was in kindergarten and didn’t end until I graduated college.”

Along the edge of the Soldiers & Sailors patio stood a small replica of a POW camp. According to Hogan, the Sons of American Legion Squadron 82 puts the replica together at different commemorative events.

Included in the replica were a tiger cage, a replica of where American soldiers were once imprisoned, a guard tower and a missing-man table.

“Everything on it symbolizes the POWs and MIAs,” McGarvey said.

Reverend Michael Wurschmidt of Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship gave the invocation at the closing ceremony. In his prayer he urged that people work toward peace and putting an end to war.

Wurschmidt said he is a staunch supporter of war veterans and took a moment to reflect on current issues.

“We will not forget our homeless veterans,” Wurschmidt said.