I recently came across a MIA/POW bracelet which belongs to my mother. My mother wishes to return it to the family, so I took on the project of investigating this matter. The bracelet bears the name, Powers, Lowell Stephen, CWO (Chief Warrant Officer). It also has his loss date, which is 4-2-69. Through my research I have learned that Powers died in a helicopter crash, but his body was never recovered. If you would like to see further information about him, you can view it here: Lowell Stephen Powers
I would really like to find this man’s next of kin, if any exists. Aside from his military record, the only things I know about him are that he was from Scottsdale, Arizona and his mother’s name is Iris Powers. I didn’t have any luck in locating her name in a phone directory, and I doubt that she is still living. I registered on a MIA/POW bracelet exchange website. I found three other people wishing to return a Powers bracelet. I’ve been in contact with them, but they don’t have any leads either.
Does anyone have any idea how I can find this man’s family?
Thank you in advance,
Mala
Note to the mod: I apologize if you don’t consider this to be a GQ. Please move this post where you see fit.
You might want to see if he had any brothers or sisters. Or see if you can locate a POW/MIA chapter in Arizona and they might be able to help you out. The only other help I can give is if you are near DC you can try going to the mall and seeing if there is any one there with more information. I don’t think as many people sit out near the memorial though. I’m suprised that they didn’t list his family as a lot of the ones I saw did.
On a somewhat related note my friends and I had bracelets in HS. One friend had the person on his bracelet body returned in the early 90s.
The purpose of the POW/MIA bracelets was to remember people suffering in POW camps or missing in action. Remember, these people were abandoned by their country. Their fates, for the most part, to this day remain unaccounted for. This is from POW MIA Freedom Fighters (http://www.powmiaff.org/getinvolved.html)…
"Be reminded the family would be greatly insulted if their loved one was abandoned AGAIN by you returning the bracelet now. The pledge with the bracelet is “till he comes home.” That means LIVE, body, teeth OR in this day of associative identification, when the family accepts what is offered. It also means, if need be, the bracelet is worn for the next however many days or years or God forbid, decades. Broken or worn bracelets can be left at the WALL or a Memorial when replaced with a new one. A note and a POW decal with it can STILL focus attention on that man, even when left that way. "
Regarding the OP, if you decide to pursue this you might want to try some of the online genealogy sites. I have been surprised to find some useful information on my own family tree.
I wore my POW bracelet for just under four years. Happily, “my” POW returned safely at the end of the war in Vietnam.
Hmmm. Until I did a Google search, I didn’t know that these bracelets were available for any conflict other than Vietnam. See this site, which has a picture of a bracelet.
I got mine on campus in 1970. For a donation, I received the bracelet, and vowed to wear it until the person listed on the bracelet either came home, or if they were MIA, when their fate was determined. It was a very popular (yet sincere) gesture, even for us anti-war demonstrators.
We recently found my mom’s POW/MIA bracelet. One of them happened to say JOHN MCCAIN. I was interested in it and did a little Web research and found an article about a nun who also had a McCain bracelet. During his campaign the nun met him at one of his stops and made a presentation of the bracelet, explaind how she’d prayed for him etc etc. If I recall he sort of said “thanks for the prayer. Keep the bracelet and keep praying.”
Anyway, if you do find the family of the name on the bracelet, I suggest you simply contact them and let them know your mom has it and she kept him in her thoughts, say sorry about the loss and let them know you’re still thinking of him.
Amberlei
Your potshot that these men were “abandoned by their country” is off the mark. The United States has taken great lengths and continues to make efforts to find as many remains of Vietnam veterans as possible.
Amberlei,
You’re right on both counts - and this probably isn’t the correct forum for a debate. But when you grind and axe in public with a comment like “Remember, these people were abandoned by their country,” you had to know someone would take exception.
