N.J. Man 'Choked Up' Over POW Bracelet

The Northwest Florida Daily News - Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

He had kept Bud Day's bracelet for 40 years
March 23, 2009 - 8:12 PM
Wendy Victora

For nearly 40 years, Fred Myers has kept the silver POW bracelet within sight. Most recently, he's had it clipped to his truck visor.

Myers, like countless other Americans, bought the bracelet during the Vietnam War. Instructions were to keep it until the prisoner of war whose name you wore came home.

Last week, looking for closure, the Farmingdale, N.J., man got on the Internet and typed in "Col. George Day" - the name engraved on the silver cuff. He learned that Day was very much alive in Northwest Florida.

Col. George "Bud" Day, who spent six years in captivity, is a Shalimar attorney and outspoken advocate for veterans.

"I was choked up," said Myers of learning that "his" POW was still alive. "I was shocked that after all these years I could talk to him."

He added that the bracelet has been all over the world with him.

The two men spoke and Myers agreed to mail the bracelet back to Day.

It won't be the first one the octogenarian has received. Day has trouble estimating how many bracelets have been returned over the years, but he guesses the number to be in the hundreds.

He has donated some to museums and hangs others on his Christmas tree. One is in a plastic paper weight. Others have been straightened and mounted on a plaque.

Day said that it was fascinating to him and other POWs to learn that Americans were wearing bracelets with their names on them.

"There were not many indications that we were getting supported," he said. "When we learned of that, it was a great morale booster."

Day said he was glad to hear from Myers.

"I told him I was very proud of him for wearing the bracelet," he said. "It was personally very rewarding to me and he gave me a good feeling to know that he, like so many other Americans, (was) supporting us."