Local SAR Chapter honors POW's and MIA's

A POW-MIA flag was flown next to a Missing Man table at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum on Sunday, September 15 in honor of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who have not returned home from the field of Battle and remain unaccounted for. The display was set-up by the Sgt Maj John Champe Chapter, Virginia SAR.

A Congressional Research Service report on POW's documents:

• 130,201 World War II service members were imprisoned; 14,072 them died.
• 7,140 Korean War service members were imprisoned; 2,701 of them died.
• 725 Vietnam War service members were imprisoned; 64 of them died.
• 37 service members were imprisoned during conflicts since 1991, including both Gulf wars; none remain in captivity

According to the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency 83,114 Americans who fought in those wars are still missing, including:

• 73,515 from World War II (an approximate number due to limited or conflicting data)
• 7,841 from the Korean War
• 1,626 from Vietnam
• 126 from the Cold War
• 6 from conflicts since 1991

Each item on a Missing Man Table represents the emotions and feelings reserved for those who did not come home. The table symbolizes that they are with us in Spirit. We should not forget the brave men and women who answered the Nation’s call and fought for our freedom with honor.

• The table is round to show our everlasting concern for our missing comrade.
• The tablecloth is white, symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to serve.
• The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the lives of these Americans and their loved ones and friends who keep the faith while seeking answers.
• The red ribbon symbolizes our continued determination to account for the missing.
• A slice of lemon reminds us of their bitter fate; captured or missing in a foreign land.
• Salt symbolizes the tears of our missing and their families who long for answers after decades of uncertainty.
• The lighted candle reflects our hope for their return, alive or dead.
• The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain us and those lost for our country, founded as one Nation under God.
• The glass is inverted, symbolizing their inability to share a toast.
• The chair is empty, the seat that remains unclaimed at the table.

The POW-MIA Flag and the Missing Man Table is in remembrance of all POW’s and MIA’s from all of our Nation’s conflicts.