Newt Heisley
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
commercial artist who was responsible for the design of the POW/MIA flag
POW/MIA flag
The POW/MIA flag is an American flag designed as a symbol of citizen concern about United States military personnel taken as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action ....
for the National League of Families
National League of Families
The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia is an American 501 non-profit organization that is concerned with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue...
, which was officially recognized by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in relation to the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue
Vietnam War POW/MIA issue
The Vietnam War POW/MIA issue concerns the fate of United States servicemen who were reported as missing in action during the Vietnam War and associated theaters of operation in Southeast Asia...
"as the symbol of our Nation's concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, missing
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the Nation".
Biography
Heisley was born in Williamsport, PennsylvaniaWilliamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
on November 9, 1920. He lived with his grandparents for much of his youth, following the death of his mother when he was four-years old. He attended Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, graduating with a degree in fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
s, after which he worked as a graphic artist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
. He enlisted during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, serving as a pilot in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
.
Graphic design and the POW/MIA flag
After the completion of his military service, Heisley spent more than two decades working at advertising firms in the New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area. In 1971, a New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
-based agency he worked for assigned him to create a flag for their client Annin & Company, the largest flag manufacturer in the United States, which had been given the task to create the flag by Mary Hoff, the wife of a service member missing in action and a member of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia
National League of Families
The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia is an American 501 non-profit organization that is concerned with the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue...
.
The image he designed uses black-and-white images of the silhouette of a man in profile with his head bowed in the foreground with a guard tower and barbed wire behind him. Heisley used the image of his son Jeffrey, a 24-year old member of the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, who had just returned from basic training where he was preparing to be shipped to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, returning from his training appearing sickly after a bout of hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
. "You Are Not Forgotten", the words that appear on the bottom of the flag, came to Heisley as he recalled his military experience as a pilot flying lengthy missions on C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
transport planes over the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
with the thought coming to his mind that he could end up "being taken prisoner and being... forgotten".
Heisley recalled in 1997 that the flag had only been "intended for a small group" and that "No one realized it was going to get national attention". He had designed the flag selflessly "for the men who were prisoners of war or missing in action. They're the real heroes." He was proud of his efforts in its creation but embarrassed by the notice that arose from his involvement.
In 1988, the POW/MIA flag flew over the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for the first time and it was installed on permanent display in the rotunda of the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
in 1989. In 1990, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
designated the flag Heisley designed as "the symbol of our nation's concern" for soldiers still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, specifying six days each year — Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
, Flag Day
Flag Day in the United States
In the United States Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777...
, Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, National POW/MIA Recognition Day
National POW/MIA Recognition Day
In the United States, National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday in September. It honors those who were prisoners of war and those who are still missing in action....
and Veterans Day
Veterans Day
Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark...
— when it is mandated to fly the flag at all military establishments and federal buildings.
He decided to move with his family away from the big city and decided to relocate to Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, after stopping there one night and seeing the view the next morning. There he opened an advertising firm with his son Jim in 1972. Among the projects his agency worked on was the design of a pin for the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
held in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
.
Personal
After years of deteriorating health, Heisley died at age 88 on May 14, 2009 in his home in Colorado Springs, a week before he had planned to marry his fiancee, Donna Allison. He was survived by two sons and a granddaughter.Heisley's first wife, Bunny, whom he had met while in college, died in 2005.