POW bracelet

A POW bracelet (or POW/MIA bracelet) is a nickel-plated or copper commemorative bracelet engraved with the rank, name, and loss date of an American serviceman captured or missing during the Vietnam War.

The bracelets were first created in May 1970 by a California student group called Voices in Vital America (VIVA), with the intention that American prisoners of war in Vietnam not be forgotten. Those who wore the bracelets vowed to leave them on until the soldier named on the bracelet, or their remains, were returned to America. with the idea of returning the bracelet to the returning prisoner.

The bracelets, which cost 30 cents to produce, sold for $2.50 or $3.00 and increased VIVA's income to more than $7 million by 1973. Between 1970 and 1973, approximately 4 million bracelets were distributed. Politicians, entertainers, and models wore the bracelets.