Lakelands Marines, Post 20 honor POWs during ceremony

People throughout the state paused Tuesday to honor members of the United States military imprisoned by enemies during battle and those who have yet to return home from their tours of duty.

Gov. Mark Sanford declared the day Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action Recognition Day.

American Legion Post 20, in conjunction with the Lakelands Marines Corps League, conducted a ceremony honoring POWs and their widows at the American Legion Post 20 in Greenwood. Gene McDaniel, commander for Post 20, helped organize the event as a way to honor POWs and MIAs and their families.

"This is something we really need to do. We don't recognize veterans enough - especially those who have sacrificed like these guys have," he said.

Ceremony co-organizer Phil Lucas, commandant of the Lakeland Marines Corps League, said most of the POWs honored at the Greenwood ceremonies were prisoners during World War II. "With the memorial being built this spring in Washington D.C., we felt it would be a good thing to honor them today," he said. "We are losing them at such a fast rate."

During the ceremony, POWs and their families were recognized and Sanford's proclamation was read. Veterans representing each branch of service honored MIAs during the "Table Ceremony." Medallions from each branch were placed on a table with items symbolizing their everlasting efforts to discover the fate of their missing comrades. The Emerald High Show Choir provided music for the ceremonies.

John McMahan, 88, a POW during World War II, was among those honored at the ceremony. A Master Sergeant in an Army Field Artillery and Observance Battalion, McMahan was captured by German troops on February 14, 1943.

"We had very little food, very little medical attention and about 300 of us lived in barracks built for 100 men," he said. McMahan, a resident of Abbeville, escaped from captivity 26 months later and eventually wrote a book on his experiences.

State Commandant of the Marine Corps League Ed Hammons came from Aiken to attend the event. While in service, Hammons was on a patrol sent to rescue POWs in Vietnam. "We got there too late and I saw the aftermath - the inhumanity of their treatment," he said. Hammons said the experience is something he will never forget, and he felt he needed to attend the ceremony to honor all POWs. "I think these guys ought to be commended," he said. "It is a tremendous reward for me to be in their presence today."