POW/MIA Remembrance Ceremony held in Branson

The Annual National POW/MIA Recognition Day was commemorated in Branson with a service on Friday, September 19, 2025. POW/MIA Chairman Mary Schantag, POW Network volunteers, and guests gathered at the Autumn Daze Main Stage Area, outside The Columns at 3750 W. 76 Country Blvd. 

The ceremony opened with a presentation of the colors by the Veterans of the Ozarks Honor Guard, prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the National Anthem presented by local area musician Chris Conant. Mary Schantag then explained the significance of the day, saying that work is still being done to fully account for the more than 85,000 U.S. military service members, including 2,400 Missourians, who were imprisoned or are unaccounted for as a result of their service. The annual remembrance is meant to bring attention worldwide to those still missing and to their families, some of whom have waited decades for answers. For fiscal year 2025, only 154 World War II service members have been identified, 55 from the Korean war, and nine from Vietnam. The process is slow and may take decades or even centuries to complete, but POW Network and other volunteers remain committed to the process of “Leaving No Man Behind.” 

The program highlight was the reading by Schantag of the diary of former World War II POW Leon Milo Larson, held in Stalag 11B Fallingbostel Prussa Work Camps 53-09. He was 38 years old. Written with a dying ink pen over a journey of several weeks via trucks, trains, planes and ships, his diary covers things none of us would likely think of—the pleasure of real food after months of near starvation, followed by the discomfort as the body readjusts to processing it; the excitement of a bath and clean clothes; the anticipation of being home combined with the anxiety of wondering how things will be when he gets there. Simple pleasures like a cigarette, popular music, a magazine and plenty of tea—interspersed with haunting questions: “All my prayers are being answered! Do I deserve it?” “If only we could get word from home.” 

For this writer, the diary gives a better understanding of a World War II uncle who spent several months in a prison camp and refused to talk about his experiences when I dared to ask questions. My aunt did talk some, about the weeks of hopefully checking the mailbox and finally hearing that camps were being liberated. My uncle got a homecoming, but many didn’t, and we must not forget them. 

The bell tolled in honor of those missing from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, Vietnam, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and non-combat operations; and the ceremony closed with prayer and playing of Taps.  

For more information about POW Network activities, visit www.pownetwork.org, where you’ll also find a schedule of Veterans Homecoming Week events including a service to honor POW/MIA service members.