Gun owners’ rights group wants POW/MIA flag raised at all gov’t facilities

The National League of Families POW/MIA flag can currently be seen flying at federal facilities. (Wikipedia)

By The Star Staff

The president of Puerto Rico’s main advocacy group for the rights of gun owners expressed confidence Monday that Gov. Jenniffer González Colón will soon sign a bill that would allow the black POW/MIA flag, a symbol of solidarity and remembrance for U.S. service members captured or missing during armed conflicts, particularly the Vietnam War, to be flown at all government facilities on the island.

Ariel Torres Meléndez, president of the Corporation for the Defense of Puerto Rico Gun License Holders (CODEPOLA), urged legislators to clear the way for House Bill (HB) 2024 and a dignified tribute to lost and missing service members at the state level.

The flag, which reads “Prisoner of War” (POW) and “Missing in Action” (MIA), can currently be seen flying at federal facilities.

HB 2024, originally filed by Rep. Luis R. “Narmito” Ortiz Lugo at the request of CODEPOLA and Prof. José A. Pereda Maduro, to establish the “Prisoner of War and Missing in Action Soldiers Recognition Act,” passed the House of Representatives during the previous legislative term, but was held up in the Senate. It has since been refiled but has yet to be addressed in the upper chamber.

“For us, it represents the hope of their return and the memory of those who were unable to return,” Torres Meléndez said. “The black POW/MIA flag is a source of great pride for veterans, so we hope that Gov. Jenniffer González will soon sign this bill into law, allowing this sacrifice to be recognized in all facilities in Puerto Rico, not just federal ones.”

“Perhaps many will see raising a flag as something simple or unimportant,” the CODEPOLA president added, “but for a veteran, it represents courage and pride; it’s their nation, which they swore to defend from any intruder or enemy.”