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JAY — Two days of remembrance and reflection in Jay brought national and local perspectives on the nation’s effort to recover missing service members and honor prisoners of war.

On Sept. 18, Dr. Stephanie Makin of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) spoke at a town hall hosted at Spruce Mountain High School. She offered what organizers called a comprehensive overview of how the agency works to locate, recover, identify, and return the remains of U.S. servicemen and women missing in action.

Makin, who works with the agency’s Vietnam War branch, described past cases of recovery, including the return of a Maine airman to Rangeley several years ago. She fielded numerous questions from the audience about the difficulties the agency faces, from terrain and weather to limited resources and access in foreign countries.

The presentation was also personal. Makin met with three families in attendance who live with the lasting impact of war. Among them were Jim Nutting of Leeds, whose father, John, was shot down in 1959 over North Korea; John and Rose Dykes of Canton, who lost Rose’s brother in a 1969 helicopter crash in Vietnam; and Juanita Craft, whose late husband, Charlie, endured 787 days as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Nutting also addressed the audience, sharing his family’s experience of loss.

Attendance was lower than organizers had hoped, with 51 people present, which they described as a missed opportunity for the community to hear directly from the agency.

The following evening, however, the turnout was far larger. More than 200 people gathered Sept. 19, for the annual National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony at the monument on Riley Road in Jay. Organizers said it was the largest crowd in the history of the event.

The ceremony began with the arrival of the Memorial U.S. Flag, escorted by the United Bikers, who ride 18 miles each year to honor the 18 Mainers still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.

First responders from Androscoggin and Franklin counties, along with Jay and Livermore Falls police, Jay Fire Department, and MaineHealth EMS, lined the site with lights flashing in tribute.

Local youth took part in key roles. Civil Air Patrol cadets presented the colors, Spruce Mountain High School students directed traffic, and middle schoolers handed out mini U.S. and POW/MIA flags. Music was provided by Tom and Jan Gill and Christine LaPoint, whose rendition of “Travelin’ Soldier” moved many to tears. VFW Auxiliary member Gaianne Dube sang the national anthem.

Representatives of the VFW, AMVETS, and American Legion posts and auxiliaries were present. Families of POWs and MIAs laid wreaths in remembrance. The program closed with an AMVETS firing squad salute and the playing of taps, followed by a community gathering at Jay VFW Post 3335.

For organizers such as Jim Manter, a Navy veteran, the events underscored the importance of keeping the stories of prisoners of war and missing servicemen alive in the community. “Until the last POW/MIA is returned, we will be their voice to let our nation know we have not forgotten them,” he said ahead of the ceremonies.