BEDFORD, Va. – Veterans, family and friends gathered today at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford to recognize those lost, but not forgotten.
The third Friday of September is the day we set aside to honor prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Raymond Blanton, Ralph Cole, Henry Ellis, Andrew Schmitz and Bobbie Ray Daniels — These are the names of the five most recent heroes who’ve finally come home.
As we honor them, we also remember the more than 80,000 who still have not and the families that are still waiting for answers.
“He came in the bedroom that morning to tell us all goodbye,” Clif Daniels says. “He walked by my bed, reached down and grabbed my big toe and said, ‘I’ll be seeing you big boy.’ That was the last of him.”
Clif Daniels was just five years old when his brother, Bobbie Ray Daniels went missing in action during the Korean War. After 70 years, his brother is finally home.
“I always said ‘Wait and you’ll hear the answer.’”
On Friday, Daniels finally received the proper send-off he deserves with military rights and honors. He was recognized at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford among other prisoners of war and those still listed as missing in action.
“My prayers go out every day to the families because I know there’s thousands,” Daniels says. “To me, I am so thankful that the curtain has closed.”