The wait is over

SUBMITTED BY MARY SCHANTAG, P.O.W. Network

Recently, among family and friends, two military family members’ items long owed, lost or forgotten were finally where they belonged.

Joanna Harper Clifton’s questions were answered with a presentation of her World War II father’s military medals, some noting his heroism. Joanna was just a few months old, and her father, Marine PVT Victory Cordy Harper, was unaware he was a dad, when he was killed on Tinian, one of the Mariana Islands, receiving his Purple Heart and Bronze Star for the same battle. His Marine Unit also received a Unit Citation noting heroism for that battle.

Last fall at the P.O.W. Networks’ 29th Annual Military Gala & Banquet, Mrs. Clifton and her two daughters were officially recognized as General James Schreffler, from College of the Ozarks, pinned on her Gold Star. Although her father was killed in action by the enemy in 1944, that tiny pin, carrying the weight of a family’s hearts, was never presented to the baby daughter or the widow.

That Gold Star, the framed medals and a full copy of her father’s military record finally allowed her to “know” the man she had never met. She finally, in her 80s, “met” her hero.

Meanwhile, Joanna’s son-in-law, Rich Watson, had lost a valuable possession with the many moves, homes and life’s quirks – his military medals for his time in the Army.

Rich served as an infantryman, driver and instructor during his enlistment, serving both in Panama and in the Gulf War. He went on to a career as a correctional officer and eventually became one of Branson’s best known entertainers with “A Garth Tribute.” He and his wife Anna Maria, Victory’s granddaughter, have performed for a number of years, paying tribute to veterans at every show.

He was “pinned” onstage by P.O.W. Network’s associate Mike Conley, himself an Army veteran and songwriter.  Rich can now wear those medals earned, as he honors other veterans, commemorates the friends lost, and shares a commonality with so many of those that visit Branson. It is a message all its own.

Mary Schantag, Chairman of the 36-year-old P.O.W. Network stated, “Someone had to fix it. Just happy it could be us. It’s important to a family that has suffered such a huge loss. Medals were earned, blood shed, because someone loved this country and our way of life. We can never thank them enough.”