News-Info-Alerts

Re: Helping to Find Answers

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: January 10, 2003

"POW Network helps to find answers

Chuck and Mary Schantag, Skidmore, began explaining the P.O.W. (Prisoner of War) Network, by listing what it is not.

“It’s not a veterans group; it’s not government sponsored; there are no members; it is not for profit,” says Mary. Then she defined this organization, which began in 1989: “It is an educational group. We provide information on POWs. We provide answers.”

Much of the extensive reference collection the Schantags have in their home has been entered into the computer and is available on their website: www.pownetwork.org.

“We have the biggest library on POWs that is open to the public,” says Chuck of their 5,000 page website which focuses on Vietnam Veterans, and gets 50,000 hits/week.

Chuck is a Vietnam Veteran who served in the Marine Corps until being wounded on January 31, 1968.

“He left some friends behind,” says Mary. “We started talking, going through books to see what happened.” She looks at her husband. “With his computer knowledge, he took what we had and put it on the computer.”

They now have 3600 biographies on-line, which are first hand accounts from family members or men who came home. The Schantags have personally met and talked to hundreds of the returnees.

“It’s stunning to meet such heroes,” says Chuck.

“They treat us as one of their own,” says Mary.

Because there are 90,000 men still unaccounted for since W.W.I., this is an important issue to keep in the political forefront. It’s not only family members that look for answers about men who were Missing in Action (MIA), it’s also the five million people who bought POW bracelets during the 1970s. The POW bracelet is: “A simple metal band engraved with the name of a POW or MIA and the date he was lost.” The original marketing material cautions: “Don’t wear it unless you want to get involved. The bracelet is worn with the vow that it will not be removed until the day that his real status is determined or that he returns home.”

The Schantags have published a book about the bracelets, “more than A Band of Metal: Loveletters from those who care,” which is a collection of the best stories on their website, complete with photos. Each story is a precious reminder of the freedoms we enjoy, and those who fought for that freedom. Many of the stories bring a tear to your eye and a humbling thankfulness to your heart.

Because of a privacy issue, the website does not post any veterans street addresses. Mary spends a large amount of her time forwarding mail to veterans, many of whom are older than the public believes.

“We make no promises that vets will write back,“ says Mary, “but many do. The stereotype is that a soldier was 19 years old, but many of the W.W.I and Korean Vets fought in Vietnam and were shot down at 40 or 50 years old, and are 70 and 80 now.”

The Schantags plan and participate in an annual week long celebration of veterans, which is hosted in Branson. They have met many important people in the military and in politics. They have attended receptions at the Texas home of Ross Perot.

“This has taken us across the country,” says Mary. “We are doing something no one else is doing.”

Currently, the Schantags and their website are getting more attention because of the phony claims some people make about their so-called military careers. Time Magazine is doing a story on the POW Network this month. Mary says it’s easy to tell when someone is a phony. A phony tends to brag and a real POW/MIA is humble. They list 700 phonies on their website.

Chuck quotes the life-style philosophy of genuine three-time war veteran and fighter pilot, George “Bud” E. Day : “I’ll never do anything to disgrace my family, my country, or my God. If I do, I don’t want to come back.”

To contact Mary or Chuck Schantag, write to: P.O.W. NETWORK, Box 68, Skidmore, MO 64487-0068 or call: 660-928-3304, FAX: 660-928-3303. The book, More than a Band of Metal, helps to raise money to keep the website going and sells for $15.00 plus $2.95 shipping. Order on-line or call: 866-481-4252.

by Amy Houts "