EX-POW License Plate: why?

I drove into work this morning behind a white-haired man in a brand new red cadillac. He had a license place that read EX POW, and he had a sticker from what was apparently an association related to former prisoners of war.

I don't by any means intend to be derisive, but what is the point of making this information public? Why should I, a random person driving behind this man, need to know that he was once a prisoner of war? I have the utmost respect for members of our armed forces, and those who were unfortunate enough to be captured in war certainly have my sympathy. I simply can't understand why someone would want total strangers to know this about them, especially in such a public arena as a license plate.

Personally, I would not let that fact define who I am. I have a veteran's plate on my car, because I am proud to have served and to have given some of my time for a noble cause.

If I were captured in a war, and lived to tell about it, I would be grateful and would not want to personally forget the hardship. It would be a motivator for me to do well with my life.

Maybe it's just my personality to fly under the radar, but if I were forced to go through an experience like being a prisoner of war, I wouldn't care that other people knew about it. I don't feel that it should be a shameful thing, but in some ways it would be something private as I wouldn't want people to treat me differently because of it.

As I type more about this, I'm realizing that maybe the point is just to remind us of the sacrifices that others have made, and to appreciate what we've got.

Thoughts?