POW bracelet

P.O.W. bracelet from 1966

A POW bracelet (or POW/MIA bracelet) is a nickel-plated or copper commemorative bracelet engraved with the name, rank, and loss date of an American serviceman captured or missing during the Vietnam War.

The bracelets were first created by a California student group called Voices in Vital America with the intention that American POWs in Vietnam not be forgotten. The bracelets sold for $2.50 or $3.00. Those who wore the bracelets vowed to leave them on until the soldier named on the bracelet, or their remains, were returned to America.

Between 1970 and 1976 approximately 5 million bracelets were distributed.

References

• Hawley, Thomas M. The Remains of War: Bodies, Politics, and the Search for American Soldiers Unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Durham: Duke University Press, 2005. Page 51.
• Hesse, Rayner W. Jewelrymaking Through History: An Encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2007. Page 30.
• Holsinger, M. P. (1999). War and American popular culture: A historical encyclopedia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Page 409-410.
• Morris, Bernadine. "Bracelet That Stands for a Cause." The New York Times 17 June 1972.
• Wiest, A. A., Barbier, M., & Robins, G. (2010). America and the Vietnam War: Re-examining the culture and history of a generation. New York: Routledge. Page 181

Further Reading

• "History of the POW/MIA Bracelet" by Carol Bates Brown: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

See also

• POW/MIA flag