Calif. woman visits White River Jct. VA, caps promise to honor MIA soldier

WHITE RIVER JCT, Vt. (WCAX) - A California woman is traveling the country honoring a soldier missing in action from the Vietnam War whom she never met.

Kathy Strong was a special guest at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction Tuesday afternoon. When she was 12, she received an MIA-POW bracelet with James Moreland’s name on it. She wore it for 38 years -- despite not knowing him-- until his remains were found and brought back home. Now, Strong’s mission is to honor Moreland’s memory and the sacrifice he made for his country.

“After the funeral, I wanted to do something further to honor him for his sacrifice, so I came up with the idea that I was going to put a memorial brick for him in 50 states, and today is state number 52,” Strong said.

Officials at the medical center say Strong’s visit was a great way to boost morale reminding veterans that people care about them.

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