Chief returns POW/MIA bracelet, brings closure to family

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eydie Sakura
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) --  Every evening before he went to bed and every morning when he woke up, he read Army Staff Sgt. Manuel Moreida’s name inscribed on his bracelet. He did this daily for more than 12 years.

Chief Master Sgt. Marc Rodriguez’s personal routine for remembering Sergeant Moreida and the others like him acted as a constant reminder of what was truly important for that day -- his own family.

That is why the 52nd Communications Squadron mission systems flight superintendent decided to remove the bracelet and send it to the sergeant’s family thousands of miles away -- to give a family he has never met a sense of closure after years of uncertainty.

In 1993, while stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, then Tech. Sgt. Rodriguez purchased a prisoner of war/missing in action bracelet from a vendor at the base exchange.

Chief Rodriguez picked the name of an enlisted Soldier from Texas, his home state, who had been declared missing in action in Vietnam.

“Vietnam always had a special meaning for me because I had two older brothers who served there, and thankfully, both made it back safely,” the chief said. “I always felt drawn to remember those who didn’t make it back home, and this was my small way to honor those still unaccounted for.”

When he first started wearing the bracelet, it was bright red, but through the years it has faded to a light pink color; however, it still acts as a steady reminder of why he serves and takes time to remember those who came before him.

“Wearing the bracelet has drawn attention and questions from younger servicemembers,” Chief Rodriguez said. “It allows me to explain to the Airmen that they are a part of a bigger picture and that their service to the nation has a great impact on the world.”

Creating an impact is what the chief did for one family in Texas who had been waiting for nearly eight years to be contacted about the POW/MIA bracelet inscribed with their loved one’s name.

“I came into work one day and I had an e-mail from Chief Rodriguez stating he had been wearing my uncle’s bracelet for many years,” said Edith Moreida, Sergeant Moreida’s niece who lives and works in Austin, Texas. “I honestly didn’t think it would ever be returned, and I was in complete and total shock.”

Ms. Moreida soon called her father, who was also very shocked, but extremely grateful.

“Having a missing family member is hard for a family. If we had known (Sergeant Moreida) had died, we could grieve and go on, but not knowing and wondering if he was a POW -- that was difficult for every member of our family,” Ms. Moreida said.

The journey to reunite the Moreida family with the bracelet began in 2000 when the chief came across a Web site that had biographies of different POW/MIA servicemembers whose remains were still missing.

He found Sergeant Moreida’s name on the list and discovered he was part of a four-person crew with the 48th Assault Helicopter Company in Vietnam when he went missing Dec. 2, 1967. Their UH-1D Huey helicopter did not return from a mission, and the crew’s status soon changed to missing in action.

“From this Web site, I also learned that the sergeant was from a neighboring town about eight miles from my hometown in Texas,” the chief said. “I then read a POW/MIA article in the February 2005 Airman magazine about a bracelet being returned to a family after the servicemember’s remains had been identified.”

With a little more research, Chief Rodriguez soon discovered Sergeant Moreida’s name was no longer listed on the POW/MIA page, as his remains were identified, and he was directed to another Web site containing the names of families looking for bracelets.

The chief said that wearing a POW/MIA bracelet is a big responsibility and the wearer should not just set them aside.

“We become guardians of these people’s namesake, and in a way, their memory,” he said. “I know it has been a very rewarding personal experience being part of this family’s remembrance, and hearing how this one last ‘belonging’ of the Army sergeant has impacted their family and created a sense of closure. It makes me truly honored.”

The POW/MIA bracelet worn on Chief Rodriguez’s wrist for more than a decade was mailed to the Moreida family recently, and will rest in Sergeant Moreida’s flag and shadow box at his brother’s house in Texas. (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)