24-hour vigil in York County for Prisoners of War, Missing in Action

York County veteran Harvey Mayhill started a 24-hour vigil Friday morning at Rock Hill’s Glencairn Garden Veterans Garden to honor Prisoners of War and Missing in Action troops .

Mayhill set up boots and rifle and POW-MIA and American Flags, and an empty chair signifying more than 83,000 troops in all wars unaccounted for.

The vigil idea came from Mayhill’s peers with Rolling Thunder, a veterans advocacy group. It is believed to be the only 24-hour vigil of its kind in the country on POW-MIA Recognition day across America. Some estimates show more than 83,000 military who have never been returned in wars dating back to World War I.

“These people will never be forgotten and hopefully we as a nation can do more to find them, or their remains, and bring them home,” Mayhill said.

The public is invited to stop by any of three places where Mayhill - and possibly other veterans and supporters - for the vigil until 8 a.m Saturday.

The vigil will be at Glencairn Garden until 4 p.m. Friday, then 4 p.m to midnight at Fort Mill Veterans Park at the foot of the Main Street downtown hill. It concludes from midnight to 8 a.m. at Lakeview Memory Gardens north of York on U.S. 321, where the memorial to York County troops killed in action is located.

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 12:07 PM with the headline "24-hour vigil in York County for Prisoners of War, Missing in Action."