Manchester Accepts POW/MIA Chair Of Honor

MANCHESTER, NJ -- In a solemn ceremony, Manchester Township became host to a tangible reminder of the sacrifices made by servicemen who have never come home, accepting a Chair of Honor at in the municipal building.

Rolling Thunder, an organization dedicated to educating the public about POW/MIA service members, joined with Manchester Township's Veterans Committee to unveil the chair.

The Chair of Honor is very simple yet powerful symbol: A single black chair with the POW/MIA logo, which is then flanked by the American flag and the POW/MIA flag, along with a plaque explaining the Chair of Honor.

The POW/MIA organization says there are more than 91,000 servicemen who remain unaccounted for since World War I. The Chair of Honor program was created to bring attention to that and to honor the sacrifices of those families whose servicemen have never come home.

"Today's ceremony speaks for them," Rolling Thunder Vice President Charles Webster said. The Chair of Honor is a simple yet powerful reminder of the thousands of service members who remain unaccounted for.

Mayor Ken Palmer noted that Manchester has a substantial population of veterans, which means this issue hits close to home for many. The township's Veterans Advisory Committee actively finds ways to recognize and care for the township's veterans.

"It's a privilege for us to place this Chair of Honor in our Town Hall," Palmer said.

These Chairs of Honor have been placed in more than 100 cities and towns spread across the country.

For more information or to establish a Chair of Honor, the POW/MIA organization has a website dedicated to the program; click here.