Politics & Government

POW Flag May Fly Above County Buildings

The county Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of a resolution to remember unaccounted for military personnel.

An effort by county leaders to honor missing military personnel took a preliminary step Tuesday, though the timeline for the project remains unclear.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-1 in favor of a resolution to fly the POW/MIA flag at more than 20 county buildings.

The distinctive flag features a human silhouette and a watchtower inside a white circle. Above, text reads "POW/MIA" and the words "You are not forgotten" wraps around the bottom of the circle.

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Supervisor Greg Caput, who proposed the idea, wanted to honor Californians who fought for their nation, especially those who were captured by the enemy or are missing in action, according to information provided by Caput's staff.

  • 243 Californians who served in the Vietnam War remain unaccounted for.
  • 900 family members of Vietnam era POW/MIAs reside in California.

Caput's proposal would have made flying the POW/MIA flag mandatory at all Santa Cruz County facilities. The plan was to hoist the black and white flag below the Stars and Stripes.

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"I believe that the County of Santa Cruz should require the flying of the POW/MIA Flag on all County buildings, concurrently with the American Flag and the California Flag," Caput wrote in his proposal. "The POW/MIA Flag serves as a powerful reminder to people everywhere of our country's firm resolve to achieve the fullest possible accounting for every member of the United States Armed Forces and for United States nonmilitary personnel and civilians."

However, Caput wanted to create a county ordinance. That means a violation of the ordinance—not flying the flag—could be a misdemeanor.

Instead, the Board of Supervisors decided to approve the proposal as a resolution, which has fewer legal ramifications. Caput voted against that, according to a report in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

It's unclear when the POW/MIA flags will be hoisted in Santa Cruz. Caput's staff said one veteran already donated a flag to the cause, but the county plans to explore the cost of the project before moving forward.

Caput had wanted to flags to go up before 9/11.

There is a similar project underway in Monterey County, according to the KSBW.


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