September 28, 2024

On September 20, 2024, Jack Ray VFW Post 5789 and its Auxiliary held a touching ceremony to commemorate POW/MIA Recognition Day. The event took place at the All Veterans Memorial in William B. Howard Station Park, where attendees gathered to honor those who were held captive and those who remain missing from past conflicts.

Senior Vice Commander Jon Cagle presided over the ceremony, reminding us of the over 80,000 servicemembers still missing. Senior Vice President Sandy Nail read aloud the local names of former prisoners of war and those still missing in action, while Americanism Chair Nelda Clifton placed white carnations at the memorial to honor each service member:

Seaman First Class William Knubel, Jr., MIA December 7, 1941, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Captain James D. Ellis, POW June 30, 1943, died in Bataan, Philippines at a POW Camp; Second Lieutenant D.P. Hays, MIA April 13, 1944 in Libya (remains recovered in 1960); Tech Sergeant Harvey Jefferson Davis, MIA since May 19, 1944 in the South East China Sea; First Lieutenant William J. Meyer, MIA since August 18, 1944, in the Mediterranean Sea; Second Lieutenant David Glenn Pfeiffer, MIA since October 22, 1944 in the Sulawesi Sea, Borneo; Aviation Radioman 2nd Class Clarence Waters, MIA since January 1, 1945 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Petty Officer Third Class Edward William Hasenyager, Jr., missing in action since June 21, 1945, in Okinawa, Japan; James A. Choate, former WWII POW; Robert H. Rudolph, former WWII POW; Corporal Billy D. Templeton, former WWII POW; Burnie Cooper, former WWII POW; Captain Jack T. Woodson, former WWII POW; Major Donald Schoenlein, former WWII POW; Staff Sergeant George R. Yulich, former WWII POW (Greenwood); Sergeant Micky Romaine, former WWII POW (Raytown).

Following the memorial service, VFW member Mike Sweeney conducted the solemn Missing Man Table Ceremony at VFW Post 5789. To conclude the evening, members and guests enjoyed a delicious lasagna dinner hosted by the Auxiliary.