POW PFC Donald H. Selby honored by the State of Maryland
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The term Prisoner of War can be dated back to the 1600’s and many who’ve fought for this county haven’t always gotten the acknowledgement they deserve. We learned about a POW who lived right here along the eastern shore — and share his solemn story.
Some gave all, and all gave some. Prisoners of War are often forgotten and when it comes to veterans of color, we have to acknowledge not only their service but their struggles as well. Somerset County Native Private First-Class Donald Harold Selby was drafted into the Korean War at the age of 18. His family received a telegram that he was Missing in action on April 15th, 1951. Sadly, he was never seen again.
Posthumously, he’s received the POW Medal, Korean Service Medal, The Purple Heart, and now a street sign. Anthony Selby, the eldest nephew says his uncle made more sacrifices than we realize. “He did sacrifice his life for this country. and for us to have the liberties that we have, we celebrate him today… For him to have went into the service at that time, we he in this county didn’t have equal rights, and still fighting here and then go and fight in another country, you know, to keep us free, that’s a great honor.”
State Senator Mary Beth Carozza presented on behalf of the governor and Maryland General Assembly and is glad he’s getting his flowers. “The Koren War has been called the forgotten war. It’s between WWII and Vietnam, and a lot of people you know have forgotten… Those of us who are in public office now, we have an obligation to tell the story of our Korean War Veterans, tell the story of the African American Korean War Veterans who served not only served Prisoners of War, Missing in Action.”
PFC Selby’s remains were never found, and Ret. Army Master Sergeant Brian Jones says his family has been waiting on this for 73 years 8 months and 13 days. “My uncle left and went to defend a county and a people he knew nothing of, and sacrificed his life, and he needed to be recognized. So, I thought it was a good idea to ask the State of Maryland to recognize his sacrifice.”
His family is here to keep his legacy alive. “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. My uncle Donald Selby just faded away. So, we still can honor those that’ve sacrificed in many wars. And the fact of the matter is, they just faded away.”
Their message, to all POW’s, “You are not forgotten.” That sign will be displayed by the end of this month and the family of PFC Selby want to thank the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the State of Maryland for honoring his contributions to the United States of America.
