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First Posted: 8/25/2014

In war, watch fires were lit on hilltops and at the mouths of rivers after a battle, so those separated from their units could find their way back.

On Sept. 19, the “Remembering Our Veterans Memorial” group from Back Mountain Harvest Assembly of God Church, Carverton Road, Trucksville, will light a watch fire to spiritually guide home, remember and honor all the POW/MIA from America’s wars and conflicts, said John Tasco, who represents the group.

The lighting of the watch fire will take place on the church grounds at about 5:30 p.m. on that day, which is National POW/MIA Recognition Day. The ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. The ceremony will move into the church sanctuary if there is inclement weather.

“This year we will be featuring Ed Zimmerman as our guest speaker,” Tasco said.

Zimmerman, of Bear Creek Township, a Marine Corps and Vietnam veteran, traveled to Khe Sanh, Vietnam with a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, search team earlier this year to search for the remains of two Marines who were killed during the 77-day siege at Khe Sanh in early 1968. Zimmerman, who fought in the battle, will speak about his trip in June to Khe Sanh, where he helped locate the spot where the remains of the two Marines may be found.

Zimmerman, then a Marine lance corporal, earned a Bronze Star for saving a fellow Marine and a Purple Heart for a wound he suffered. He told The Times Leader in June that he found the spot based on his recollections and coordinates from others.

Tasco said this is the second year the group is holding the watch fire.

“Last year we had a former Korean War POW and the daughter of a MIA from Vietnam as our guest speakers,” he said.

The watch fire will continue to burn until dawn. There will be representatives of various veterans organizations, music, prayer and other activities on the grounds.

The program will include a presentation of the colors; a singing of the national anthem by Patty Petts; the Pledge of Allegiance by Rock Rec Youth Wildness Experience, and the opening prayer by Dave Higgins, a Vietnam veteran.

Tasco, who’s also a Vietnam veteran, will give the welcome, followed by other speakers, songs and prayers.