Most things in life seem to happen so fast. Here it is August, and Christmas is not far away, and I can vividly remember putting the lights away just yesterday. But then there are some things that can take more than 30 years to be resolved.

Panel 30E, Line 77, Panel 16W and line 79 may not mean anything to a lot of people but I would guess that there are people who know exactly what it refers to.

For me it refers to an old family friend and to a family friend that I have never met and never will.

LTC Brendan Patrick Foley was piloting an F4 Phantom jet over the Plains of Jars over Northern Laos when he and his camera/equipment advisor were shot down and officially became MIA on November 24, 1967.

I bought my one and only POW/MIA bracelet shortly thereafter and LTC Foley became a part of my family. I have read where museums are looking for those original bracelets...the ones made of steel which had the little hole or star cut in it since the new ones being made are aluminum.

But I cannot donate it because my daughter is now wearing it. It has passed onto another generation to remember. Because there was promise made in the 60’s: when a bracelet was purchased, it would be worn and passed to the next generation if necessary, until that person came home.

After over 30 years it would seem that this bracelet will be in our family forever. We will never know him, but we won't ever forget him.

John George Graf was my dad's best friend during the Vietnam years. Both of them were LCDR's in the Navy and served together for several years. Jack and his wife Anne would come to dinner, and I can remember going to their home for dinner when I was younger.

Jack was also engaged in that secret little war over Laos. You know, the one that was never spoken of at the Paris Peace Accord. One day, my dad informed me that Jack was MIA (Missing in Action).

He had been on a photo reconnaissance mission over Northern Laos when he was shot down. He reportedly ejected from his aircraft and was seen taken captive on November 15, 1969.

It was years later that I learned that he and my dad were attached to the CIA. His remains have never been found, and it would appear that the legacy of Jack Graf ended then, since he and Anne never had any children

But three years ago I learned that life will always surprise you, and this time it was through the internet.

I began to do some research on the POW/MIA bracelets to see if I could find any information on whether the family of LTC Foley might be looking for one of the original bracelets.

While visiting a message board on the subject of POW's, I noticed a posting from someone who said he had a POW/MIA bracelet from the Vietnam era and wanted to know if anyone knew LCDR John George Graf's family.

I wrote to him and told him what I knew of him. He wrote back that he has worn the bracelet for over 30 years and it had so deeply touched him that he named his son John Graf.

Recently I found someone seeking information about Jack on the internet, and it was a young woman who inherited her dad’s bracelet, which was another original (steel) bracelet .

So our Jack lives on. He is no longer just a name on Panel 16W, Line 79 of the Vietnam Memorial. And LTC Brendan Foley is also with the next generation, and isn't just a name on Panel 30E, Line 77. They are remembered.

Both men were promoted during the war, while missing. CDR Graf is officially listed now as PFOD, Presumptive Finding of Death, even though there is no evidence to suggest this. LTC Foley is still officially listed as Missing in Action.

On March 9,1989 a POW/MIA Flag, which flew over the White House on the 1988 National POW/MIA Recognition Day, was installed in the United States Capitol Rotunda as a result of legislation passed overwhelmingly during the 100th session of Congress.

The leadership of both Houses hosted the installation ceremony in a

demonstration of bipartisan congressional support. This POW/MIA Flag, the only flag displayed in the United States Capitol Rotunda, stands as a powerful symbol of our national commitment to our POW/MIAs to achieve full accounting for Americans still missing in Southeast Asia.

In 1999 a law was passed that required flying the POW/MIA flag at certain Federal facilities, including post offices, on holidays.

It has been 32 years since I bought my POW/MIA bracelet. Thirty-two years of Christmas lights, Halloween trick-or-treaters, weddings, college graduations and so much more. But it seems like only yesterday that I bought that bracelet.