Wither Now AXPOW?

Within the next few months, you will be called upon to help make the most momentous decision in the history of our organization: Should American Ex-Prisoners of War be deactivated at an agreed upon date? Or should it continue to operate under the direction of next-of-kin? Please, don't take this decision lightly. The choice you make will determine whether our POW experience lives on long after we are gone, or if this heroic chronicle will be completely lost to future generations.

Personally, at an agreed upon time, I hope that AXPOW will gently close its doors with pride and dignity, and let videotapes and personal accounts of our experience speak for us in television documentaries, at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., at the POW Museum in Andersonville, Georgia, and at other museums which already have, or plan to erect, POW exhibits at their facilities.

Before I write one more word. Before NOKs start sending indignant letters. Let me say that I dearly love POW NOKs. And why wouldn't I? My two NOKs have made me very proud and have given me three wonderful granddaughters. We have a great relationship. But they know next to nothing about the POW experience. Just like most POWs, I was reluctant to talk about my painful memories when my kids were growing up and they were not interested in prying. They cannot possibly speak for me when I am gone. If you feel that your NOKs can accurately portray your life as a POW, then they are the exception and they are very rare indeed.

Go to a POW meeting and sit next to a new member whom you've never met before. In a few minutes you will be animatedly discussing common POW experiences, like old friends. By the same token, you could sit next to an NOK and you might soon be struggling to make conversation, unless you found some common topic that was not POW related. This doesn't make the NOK an uninteresting person. It simply says that he or she did not go through what we did. And thank God for that. Only POWs share that haunting, emotional experience that bonds us together forever.

Certainly, there are some NOKs who have donated a great deal of their time and energies to AXPOW and they are deeply appreciated. But they are very small in number and, even they, are not knowledgeable enough to perpetuate our story. The POW experience is only authentic when it comes from the lips of a POW.

If you have a "Living Will" that, under certain circumstances, declares: "Do not resuscitate," it indicates that you want to depart from this earth with dignity. Let this wish also be reflected with our organization. Let's face the fact that our average age is now 86 and that our membership will shrink rapidly over the next few years. It is our responsibility to plan that AXPOW's passing will take place in an equally stately and respectful manner.

Below, you will find a short questionnaire asking your opinion on whether you feel that American Ex-Prisoners of War should be deactivated or be represented by non-POWs in the future. Please fill it out and return it to our Editor@AXPOWFoundation@prodigy.net.

Your prompt response will help us to determine your feelings on this subject. And we will publish the results of this poll in the next issue of the TIMES, so that the AXPOW Board of Directors will be fully aware of the wishes of their constituents.

This is Your Opportunity to Let YOUR Voice Be Heard.

About two years ago, the TIMES published a questionnaire asking AXPOW members their opinions on various issues concerning the future of the organization. Your responses gave us a good reading on how you felt about these issues. At the 2003 National Convention in Greenville, S.C., the question of the future of AXPOW was discussed and recommendations of the Strategic Planning Committee presented. These recommendations will be brought to a vote in 2004 at the next National Convention in Arlington, Texas.

Much has changed in the two years since you answered our first questionnaire. Many of our members have died, more of us are unable to attend meetings and conventions because of age related disabilities, and we are now forced to look at the future more realistically. With the passing of time, we feel that the answers you gave before may now have changed as we honestly confront our own mortalities.

That's why we are asking your present opinion on two very important questions. Your answers will reflect the true feelings of our membership as we ponder the best way for POWs to be remembered.

Please check off your preferences on the following two questions and return your answers to us. Feel free to add any comments you wish to make on a separate sheet. The results of this survey and your comments will be published in the next issue of the TIMES.

1. How long do you feel that AXPOW should continue to operate:

3 years: _____ 5 years:_____ Other:_________

2a. With the passage of time, and the infirmities of age, there will soon come a point when no ex-POWs will be available to hold AXPOW office. Do you want the organization to continue to operate under next-of-kin?

Yes: _____ No: _____

2b. Close the organization down and contribute any remaining funds to the operation of the POW Museum in Andersonville, Ga.

Yes: _____ No: _____