For 59 years, the reminder of the Vietnam War has faced me every day — in the form of a bracelet.
I purchased the silver POW/MIA bracelet shortly after I got married. At the time, it was a small gesture of support for the American servicemen who were prisoners of war or missing in action during the Vietnam conflict. Like thousands of others across the country, I wore the bracelet faithfully until the war ended.
But even after the war was over, I could never put it away.
The bracelet slowly became part of me. It sat on my desk through every move my husband and I made over the decades, always visible, always quietly reminding me of a painful chapter in American history and of the young men whose families never received answers.
During the war years, I tried to do what little I could from home. I mailed care packages overseas filled with paperback books and bags of M&M’s — my favorite candy and, I hoped, a small comfort for someone far away from home. I always included upbeat notes, trying to send encouragement and hope across the miles.
Over the years, I also tried many times to contact members of the family of the officer whose name was engraved on my bracelet, Capt. Merwin L. Morrill. I wrote letters hoping to connect, to let them know their loved one had never been forgotten. But I never received a reply.
Still, I kept the bracelet.
For nearly six decades it has remained with me — not simply as jewelry, but as a symbol of remembrance, compassion and unanswered questions carried through generations.
Recently, while researching POW/MIA memorials, I discovered a memorial in California dedicated to honoring those represented by these bracelets. The memorial features photographs and stories connected to the bracelets that so many Americans once wore in support of missing servicemen.
I contacted the organization and shared my story.
Now, after 59 years of carrying Capt. Merwin L. Morrill’s name with me, my own name and story will become part of that memorial. A plaque telling this story will be placed beneath Capt. Morrill’s photograph and information.
What began as a small bracelet purchased by a young newlywed during wartime has become a lifelong connection to history, memory and honor. After all these years, the bracelet — and the man whose name it carries — will not be forgotten.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Capt. Morrill’s story reads, “Captain Merwin Lamphrey (Mel) Morrill from San Carlos, California and a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point was a F-105D Thunderchief Pilot with the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Takhli AFB, Thailand when during a strike against the Yen Vien Railroad Yard in North Vietnam 21 August 1967 his aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air (SAM) missile causing it to crash six miles northeast of Hanoi and he is presumed to have died in the crash. Captain Morrill was posthumously promoted to Lt. Colonel. His remains were recovered in 1983 and returned home for burial at the Military Academy Post Cemetery.”
