MISSING MAN TABLE &
HONORS CEREMONY
Moderator:
As you entered the dining area, you may have noticed a table at the
front, raised to call your attention to its purpose -- it is reserved to
honor our missing loved ones [or missing comrades in arms, for
veterans].
Set for six, the empty places represent Americans still [our men]
missing from each of the five services -- Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air
Force, Coast Guard – and civilians. This Honors Ceremony symbolizes that
they are with us, here in spirit.
Some [here] in this room were very young when they were sent into
combat; however, all Americans should never forget the brave men and
women who answered our nation's call [to serve] and served the cause of
freedom in a special way.
I
would like to ask you to stand, and remain standing for a moment of
silent prayer, as the Honor Guard places the five service covers and a
civilian cap on each empty plate.
Honor Guard:
(In silence or with dignified, quiet music as background, the Honor
Guard moves into position around the table and simultaneously places the
covers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard, and a
civilian hat, on the dinner plate at each table setting. The Honor Guard
then departs.)
Moderator:
Please be seated ....... I would like to explain the meaning of the
items on this special table.
The table is round -- to show our everlasting concern for our missing
men.
The tablecloth is white -- symbolizing the purity of their motives when
answering the call to duty.
The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each
of the missing, and the[ir] loved ones and friends of these Americans
who keep the faith, awaiting answers.
The vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of our continued
determination to account for our missing.
A
slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of
those captured and missing in a foreign land.
A
pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their
families who seek answers.
The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those
lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.
The glass is inverted -- to symbolize their inability to share this
evening's [morning's/day's] toast.
The chairs are empty -- they are missing.
Let us now raise our water glasses in a toast to honor America's
POW/MIAs and to the success of our efforts to account for them.
Courtesy of:
National League of Families of American Prisoners
and Missing in Southeast Asia
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