"Regular men, molded through cruel and demeaning circumstances, rise to the occasion and through their personal conduct, become heroes"

 The story behind the symbolism on the coin is included with every coin.

The P.O.W. NETWORK

The NETWORK was founded on November 11, 1989. Since it’s inception, the NETWORK has attempted to record and maintain the history of the Vietnam Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) issue.  The U.S. Senate stated after hearings before the Senate Select Committee for POW/MIAs in 1993 that the NETWORK housed one of the largest libraries of free POW/MIA information available to the public in the U.S.

Since 1989 that archive has grown to over 40,000 files. The NETWORK maintains more than five-thousand pages of on-line POW/MIA information that can be found at www.pownetwork.org. 

The P.O.W. NETWORK is a 501 c3 not-for-profit organization.

Captured - The P.O.W.

 When peace treaties were signed and the POWs returned to American soil, one returnee vowed to counter the Communist’s story about their torture and alleged humane treatment. A self-taught artist, Captain John Michael McGrath, USN (Ret) was held as a Prisoner of War for almost 6 years in North Vietnam. His simple sketches only begin to depict the hundreds of thousands of hours of cumulative misery endured by American POWs. He said he was unable to portray the hardness of the conditions, the filth, the heat, the bugs, the torment, the brutality and the unbelievable existence for hundreds of American fighting men who somehow survived the ordeal. The hands are shown in the manacles - dreaded by everyone – and sometimes they were left on for weeks. Are the hands clasped in despair or are they perhaps clasped in prayer? See PRISONER OF WAR – Six Years in Hanoi by John M. McGrath, Naval Institute Press

Lessons Learned

The words surrounding Captain McGrath’s manacled hands are from another returned POW – held for 3 months late in the war.  Commander Alfred Howard Agnew eventually retired from the Navy. His actual words continued, “The concept of Duty, Honor, Country had become personified in them.  The performance by the "old guys" in captivity was an inspiration to us "new guys" and gave us a deep feeling of pride in continuing an active role in the conflict against the government of North Vietnam.

The Artist

Drew Cottril served with the U.S. Army where he served 2 years Active reserve, 2 years in the Srategic Reserves force, and the balance Active duty, serving as a Helicopter Crew Chief for 5 years and 8 months, last serving with the 29th Inf. BDE, 40th Aviation Company, USARPAC.  In 1991 he made a trip to Washington DC and to the WALL. Upon his return home, Drew started sketching images. The WALL, the POW/MIAs, the emotions from the trip - would not allow him peace. He sketched the flag - it was the symbol we all fought for, and served under, he said. Then a proud eagle - supporting our POW’s, called by some “chained eagles.” The ideas flowed, the oils were added and a beautiful painting was born of the inspiration from the trip to the WALL. In 2001 he donated the rights and the copyright to the P.O.W. NETWORK which adopted his work as their official logo.