The Pentagon's annual observance of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, Sept. 18, 2009, featured addresses by Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright (left), vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff; Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (right), and guest speaker Jeremiah A. Denton, who has served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama and a Rear Adm. and naval aviator in the U.S. Navy. Denton delivered a heart-felt address to the audience drawing on his own experiences as a prisoner of war for nearly 8 years in Vietnam. DoD photo by R. D. Ward (Released)