The National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum will be the first of its kind

Since the U.S. involvement in World War II, approximately 142,000 Americans have been captured as prisoners of war, with more than 80,000 Americans remaining unaccounted for, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. 

The National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum will be the first to recognize all POW/MIA service members, with construction underway at the Cecil Commerce Center in Jacksonville, Florida. The memorial has recently taken steps to finalize the first phase of the 26-acre project, a six-year undertaking that has benefited from the generous help of a handful of Landstar's experienced business capacity owners (BCOs) who have donated their time. 

"Working with the Cecil Field POW/MIA Memorial has been a great opportunity to give back," said BCO Bill Watson. "My whole family comes from a military background, and one of them has been in every war this country has ever fought. It's something I felt a calling to do." 

Watson and fellow Landstar BCO Billy Dorbie, who is also involved in the project, most recently transported the S-3B Viking, an anti-submarine jet aircraft nicknamed the "War Hoover," from the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, to the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field Master Jet Base (1941-1999), now known as Cecil Commerce Center and airport. The 14-ton aircraft took three separate hauls to get it to the landing pads, where it's currently being reassembled. As part of the project’s first phase, the plane is one of four aircraft to be displayed at Heritage Plaza and will represent those that once flew from Cecil Field.

Dorbie, who has experience hauling helicopters, planes, and flight simulators, was involved in transporting the final 10-foot fuselage of the S-3B Viking, which he said he was honored to have a hand in. "Opportunities like this are why I've been with Landstar so long," Dorbie said. "I feel good about having been able to support our military."

Retired Navy Captain Ed Turner, executive director of the POW/MIA Memorial, said the project couldn't have gotten so far without the support of Landstar. "Landstar has been a big part of getting these planes for Phase One," he said. "It's been a pretty challenging project logistically, and Landstar has been a great partner in providing the support we've needed."

According to Mike Cassata, an advisor to the Cecil Field POW/MIA Memorial, the nonprofit initially reached out to Landstar for help due to its extensive background in government services, which provided the expertise and experience needed for the logistical undertaking of transporting the historic planes safely to a location where the public will soon be able to enjoy them. 

According to the BCO volunteers, the three separate hauls to carry the plane parts entailed numerous permits, state-required escorts, and extensive equipment to prep the oversize loads.  

"The dedication shown by our volunteer BCOs and agents and the pride Landstar consistently takes in supporting our military and veterans makes me especially proud to be a part of this great team," said Landstar Transportation Logistics Vice President of Government Services Mike Cashner, who has been involved since the project’s inception.

In early 2019, BCOs Allen Stumke and Andy Freeman initially volunteered to support the project by transporting the A-7 Corsair II, a combat plane constructed during the Vietnam War. It was the first of the historic aircraft to arrive at Cecil Field. 

According to Turner, the first phase of the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum project will be completed at the end of this year. Future plans include building a memorial and museum complex that includes an Emotive Axis, a Mission Axis, a Sanctuary for Remembrance, and a Memorial Hall projecting the more than 80,000 names of those US service members still unaccounted for. 

Read more about Landstar's early involvement here.