Kerr: Why the POW/MIA flag needed to fly again D. Allan Kerr We’ve had some rough detours along the way, but I like to think by now we as a country have learned to appreciate those who return home after putting themselves in harm’s way to defend the freedoms we often take for granted. And I’m pretty sure most of us have enough sense to honor those who have literally given their lives to ensure these freedoms endure. But what about those who are among the missing? Those who were taken as prisoners of war and never came back, or who disappeared during the utter chaos of battle, never to be heard from again. There is no flag-draped coffin to salute and bid farewell. We don’t even know the fate of these soldiers, sailors and airmen.