Memorial Stadium POW/MIA Chair Information

Nomination information for the 2023 season are open now. To apply, please click here

November 11, 2018, marked the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the hostilities of World War I. To commemorate the event, Memorial Stadium designated a special POW/MIA chair. Each game, a veteran of U.S. military service takes his or her post next to this unoccupied chair in honor of the more than 800 Nebraskans lost in combat, but whose fate remains “UNKNOWN.”

A plaque is installed permanently by the chair with the following verbiage: “You are not forgotten. Since World War I, more than 92,000 American soldiers are unaccounted for. This unoccupied seat is dedicated to the memory of those brave men and women and to the sacrifice each made in serving this country. …” The unoccupied chair is located in North Memorial Stadium Section 33, Row 18, Seat 27.

The UNL campus is one of only a few universities that still maintains a full complement of all military branches represented through its Reserve Officer Training Corps. While self-reported, there are more than 1,100 students who are veterans, members of the military or dependents with many faculty and staff who have military experience. The Military and Veteran Success Center is a full service center for this student veteran population, offering educational support and retention programs to assist in their academic success. 

Veteran Appearances by Game
2022 Season 
Date (Opponent) - Rank & Named of Sentinel (Hometown, Branch, Combat)
Sept. 3 (North Dakota) - Sergeant Michael Fosdick
Sept. 10 (Georgia Southern) - Sergeant Jim Orosco (Gretna, NE, Air Force, Vietnam) 
Sept. 17 (Oklahoma) - Corporal Donald Dean Raasch (Norfolk, NE, Marines, World War Two) 
Oct. 1 (Indiana) - Sergeant Julia Anderson (Lincoln, NE, Active Duty U.S. Army/U.S. National Guard)
Oct. 29 (Illinois) - Corporal John Ingram (Lincoln, NE, U.S. Army, Korea) 
Nov. 5 (Minnesota) - Corporal Walter Sullivan 'Sully' (Omaha, NE, U.S. Army, World War Two) 
Nov. 19 (Wisconsin) - Master Sergeant Philip E. Labadie Jr. (Lincoln Park, MI, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam) 

2021 Season 
Date (Opponent) - Rank & Named of Sentinel (Hometown, Branch, Combat)
Sept. 4 (Fordham) - Corporal Robert J. Stolz (Naponee, Marine Corps, Korea)
Sept. 11 (Buffalo) – Sergeant Maurice Costello
Oct. 2 (Northwestern) – Lieutenant Colonel William L. (Bill) Robinson
Oct. 9 (Michigan) – Private Eugene Wayne Olnes
Oct. 30 (Purdue) - Senior Staff Sergeant Mary Jo Yager
Nov. 6 (Ohio State) – Seaman First Class Clyde Chester Stoll
Nov. 26 (Iowa) – Sergeant Kelsey Stubbendick

2020 Season
No fans allowed at games due to COVID-19

2019 Season
Date (Opponent) - Rank & Named of Sentinel (Hometown, Branch, Combat)
Click on link below for more content about each individual
Aug. 31 (South Alabama) - Senior Master Sergeant Gary Thompson (Omaha, Air Force, Vietnam)
Sept. 14 (Northern Illinois) - Sergeant Dennis Larson (Norfolk, Army, Vietnam)
Sept. 28 (Ohio State) - Major Retired Charlie Greene (Seattle, WA, Army, Stationed in South Korea)
Oct. 5 (Northwestern) - Naval Pilot Ensign John Boosalis (Faribault, MN, Navy, WWII)
Oct. 26 (Indiana) - Major Dan Fritz (Verdon, NE, Army, Iraq)
Nov. 16 (Wisconsin) - Specialist Four Marlin Seeman (Aurora, NE, Army, Vietnam)
Nov. 29 (Iowa) - Specialist Four Donald Ruch (Omaha, NE, Army, Vietnam)

2018 Season (More Information on 2018 Honorees)
Date (Opponent) - Rank & Named of Sentinel (Hometown, Branch, Combat)
Sept. 1 (Akron) - Hospital Corpsman 1st Class James Varejcka (Hickman, U.S. Navy, Vietnam)
Sept. 8 (Colorado) – Lt. Col. Steve Fisher (Bellevue, Army, Air Force, Afghanistan)
Sept. 15 (Troy) – Second Lieutenant Floyd Zobel (Lincoln, Army, WWII)
Sept. 29 (Purdue) - First Lieutenant John Hallett (Omaha, Army, Vietnam)
Oct. 20 (Minnesota) – Chief Warrant Officer Michael Moeller (Loup City, U.S. Marine Corps, Global War on Terror)
Oct. 27 (Bethune-Cookman) – Master Sergeant Vern Schaecher (Lindsay, Army, Korean)
Nov. 10 (Illinois) – Master Sergeant Leonard Chinn (Booneville, Ind., Honored Posthumously, Army, Korean)
Nov. 17 (Michigan State) – Sergeant Dennis Pavlik (Elba, U.S. Army, Korea)