RICHMOND, Va. β The Virginia War Memorial has launched a new exhibit called "Virginia's MIA: The Search Continues" to honor service members who are missing in action.
The exhibit opened on National POW-MIA Recognition Day and aims to tell the stories of more than 1,300 Virginians who remain missing from various conflicts.
More than 81,000 Americans are still listed as missing in action from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and other conflicts.
Clay Mountcastle, executive director of the Virginia War Memorial, said the exhibit goes beyond just displaying names and photos of those missing.
"We want people to get to know much more about them than their name and their photo, their stories of who they were growing up, their connection to Virginia, and what happened to them. Why are they missing? What happened either in Vietnam or in World War II out in the Atlantic Ocean or in Korea. And we want people to get to know them because when you get to know these MIAs and their stories, you too become one of those Americans that are invested in finding them and bringing them home," Mountcastle said.
The exhibit will be on display for at least the next year and supports the promise made to service members that they will never be left behind.
Mountcastle added that the exhibit also aims to help family members of those missing in action find much-needed closure.
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