There are still more than 81,900 Americans who fought in various conflicts overseas that remain missing in action.
The third Friday of September is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and local veterans did their part to honor their fellow veterans.
On Friday night, the Jefferson City Veterans Council held a ceremony at VFW Post 1003 in St. Martins.
Council President Don Hentges said the majority of those still missing - 72,166 - served in World War II. There are 6,526 unaccounted for who fought in the Korean War and 1,586 who fought in Vietnam. The remaining are from the Cold War, the Gulf Wars and other recent conflicts.
"Our government is working hard to recover and identify as many remains as possible," Hentges said. "Just yesterday, the remains of Army Cpl. Jerome V. Hummel, of St. Louis, who was killed in Korea nearly 70 years ago, were buried at Jefferson Barracks. We must make sure these efforts to recover our MIA's never stops."
Post 1003 Honor Guard Commander Al Nichols said that in the post home club room of every veterans organization, you will find a POW/MIA memorial table to serve as a reminder that, "those who suffered the most will never be forgotten."
Nichols said the table is small and poorly made to represent the conditions faced by the prisoners in their daily struggle for survival.
"There is a white cloth to cover the table to show the purity of their intentions when responding to their country's call to arms," Nichols said. "There is a vase, tied with a red ribbon, which signifies the blood shed for our country. The vase holds a red rose to remind us of the life of each of the missing."
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Among those at Friday's ceremony was Larry Hasenbeck, of Jefferson City. His brother, Paul, went missing in action on April 21, 1967, in Vietnam.
"He and three other guys were on a mission and walked off the face of the earth," Hasenbeck said. "Over the years, we've had numerous attempts to recover bodies, etc., but nothing panned out. Fifty-three years later, we don't know anymore than we did the day after we got the announcement."
Paul Hasenbeck served in the U.S. Army and was in the 196th Light Infantry Brigade.
"He was considered an excellent machine gunner," Hasenbeck said of his brother. "That's why they wanted him on this mission, and he volunteered for it. He had just been wounded and already received the Purple Heart. He had shrapnel in his back from a hand grenade.
"It's a terrible loss. We'll never forget it, but it's brought our family very close together - and I am proud," Hasenbeck added.