Remembrance Day Ceremony 2026
POW/MIA Remembrance Day Ceremony 2026
Friday, September 18, 2026
11:30 am: Pre-ceremonial concert
12:00 pm: Ceremony
LOCATION: Pershing Auditorium, Indiana War Memorial, 55 E Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Honoring former prisoners of war and those missing in action and unaccounted for, and their families.
Many service members suffered as prisoners of war during several decades of conflicts. Many others are missing in action and never made it home. Join us on Sept. 18, 2026, for POW/MIA Remembrance Day, as we come together as a nation to honor these heroes and their families who paid the ultimate price.
With the support of the Indiana National Guard ceremonies team, representatives from all military service branches, the City of Indianapolis, and the State of Indiana, this ceremony was uniquely created for citizens of Indiana to honor and recognize the sacrifices made by former Indiana Prisoners of War and their families, along with the families of Indiana’s Missing in Action. The Council realizes the importance of this remembrance and vows to continue our ongoing commitment to those who gave so much.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: CARRIE LEGARDE, PhD
Carrie LeGarde, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
Dr. LeGarde is a Forensic Anthropologist and Scientific Recovery Expert (SRE) at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Nebraska Laboratory. She was born and raised on a cattle ranch in Central Montana and attended the University of Montana in Missoula, MT for her undergraduate and graduate degrees. During this time, Dr. LeGarde was a Forensic Firearm, Evidence, and Autopsy Technician at the Montana State Crime Lab, as well as a volunteer for the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT).
Dr. LeGarde joined the DPAA Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in June 2012 after completing her master’s degree. She specializes in the resolution of commingled human remains (CHR) and has been responsible for managing large CHR projects at the DPAA since 2019, previously the USS Oklahoma Identification Project and currently the Enoura Maru Project, both from WWII. Dr. LeGarde also serves as an SRE on recovery missions conducted by the DPAA.
The Indiana POW/MIA Council, Inc. is dedicated to preserving the memory of our Nation’s veterans. National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremonies are held throughout the Nation and around the world on military installations, ships at sea, state capitols, schools, churches, national veteran and civic organizations, police, and fire departments, etc.
