National POW/MIA Recognition Day - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

On this National Prisoner of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) Recognition Day, Fort Hood is honoring those missing or unaccounted for while serving our country.

Today at Darnall Army Medical Center, soldiers, veterans and families paused to remember those lost.

Some who were actually once among the missing were in attendance, and those who never returned home were heavy on their hearts today.

The total numbers of missing in action and prisoners of wars stands at 1,660, 106 of them from Texas.

But it was clear today that their memory will not fade.

With his hand over his heart, former WWII POW Morris Barker will never forget those who never made it out, and neither will his fellow veterans who stood beside him today.

Morris was on his way to Vienna, Austria, with the 15th Air Force, 4-51st Bomb Group on August 22, 1944, when he was shot down by German forces and imprisoned for 11 months.

"It was very confining as you can imagine, and the camp I was in, we had about 9 thousand American and British airman prisoners," said Morris.

Ruby Williams's husband, SGT Warren Williams, was among the famous "Lost Battalion."

He spent 3 1/2 years in a Japanese prison camp.

Ruby said, "It's always emotional. He's been deceased since 1987, but it still brings back memories."

Morris says he never gave up hope, up until the moment he was freed by British troops on May 3, 1945, and he says he's hasn't given up hope on those left behind either.

"Hopefully, all of them can be identified to give some closure to the families and brought back to the states for a proper burial," said Morris.

Reporter/Photographer: Sophia Stamas sstamas@kcentv.com