(NASHVILLE) — Representative Timothy Hill (R-Blountville) today introduced new legislation for 2018 designed to honor United States service members who are designated as Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing In Action (MIA).
Joined by members of the Northeast Tennessee Chapter of Rolling Thunder, Hill launched his initiative Friday morning at Biker Wear in Johnson City. It calls for the POW-MIA Chair of Honor Program to be expanded to include all Tennessee courthouses and additional government buildings — including the historic Capitol Building in Nashville — at no cost to taxpayers.
The POW-MIA Chair of Honor Program places an unoccupied chair in public spaces in cities and towns throughout the country to serve as a solemn reminder of our soldiers who are still waiting to be brought home. According to data from the Defense Department’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency, more than 80,000 service members are still listed as Missing in Action decades after they served in conflicts like World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
As the grandson of a United States veteran, this is the latest in a series of initiatives supported by Representative Hill in order to call attention to the selfless sacrifices of American service members and their families.
“This chair will serve as a remembrance, a shrine in effect, to the men and women who still have not returned home decades after their noble service to our country,” said Representative Hill. “I am hopeful it will also enable future generations of Tennesseans to understand the important role these brave heroes played in helping us overcome some of the challenging issues we have faced as a nation in order to arrive at our present moment in time.”
A chair containing the POW/MIA insignia is already on display at various government buildings and other public locations in cities and towns across the country.
Timothy Hill serves as House Majority Whip. He is also a member of the House Calendar & Rules, House Transportation and House Insurance & Banking Committees, as well as the House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee. Hill lives in Blountville and represents House District 3, which includes Johnson and part of Carter and Sullivan Counties. He can be reached by email at: [email protected] or by calling (615) 741-2050.