Staff Writer - The Americus Times-Recorder

AMERICUS — National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day is Sept. 17. In honor of that day, the Andersonville National Historic Site, location of the National Prisoner of War Museum, the Friends of Andersonville and Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) are hosting the 2010 National POW/MIA Convocation at 11 a.m. Sept. 15 in GSW’s Fine Arts Building. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this free event.

Jo Anne Shirley is this year’s guest speaker. Shirley’s brother, Maj. Bobby Marvin Jones, M.D., has been MIA since Nov. 28, 1972. He was a passenger of an F4D bomber that was lost from the radar 20 miles northwest of DaNang, South Vietnam. After three excavating missions in the area believed to be the crash site, no remains were recovered. Jones’ fate remains unknown.

A native of Macon, Jones graduated from the University of Georgia in 1967 and from the Medical College of Georgia in 1971. After doing an internship at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas, Jones joined the Air Force in 1972.

The convocation speaker, Jo Anne Shirley, is the Georgia State Coordinator for the National League of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia and co-founder of the Georgia Committee for POW/MIAs Inc.

She won the Georgia Outstanding Citizens Award for POW/MIA Involvement in 1994 and has served on boards of and been recognized by countless other organizations focused on remembering POW/MIAs. Shirley resides in Dalton with her husband, Dr. Rudy Shirley, and has three children and five grandchildren.

This is the fifth year that the Andersonville National Historic Site and GSW have hosted this event. Governor Sonny Perdue has issued a proclamation celebrating POW/MIA Recognition Day 2010.

In connection with POW/MIA recognition day 2010, Rolling Thunder Inc. is co-sponsoring several events at Andersonville associated with “The Ride Home.” Notably, the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall will make a week-long stop at Andersonville from Sept. 17 through Sept. 25. The wall is a 3⁄5s replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. and is nearly 300 feet in length. Volunteers are needed.

Contact the Andersonville National Historic Site at 229-924-0343 to help.