JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville International Airport has a new display in honor of former prisoners of war and those missing in action.
The Missing Man Table can be seen until Sept. 26.
And each piece of the table has a meaning.
“We hope all the passengers and visitors and people going by will stop and take a look and appreciate and learn,” said Pam Cain, who sits on the board of directors for the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum.
A sign on the table reads:
- WHITE TABLECLOTH - Symbolizes the purity of their intentions to respond to their country’s call to arms.
- BLACK NAPKIN - Represents the sorrow of captivity.
- A SINGLE RED ROSE IN A VASE - Signifies the blood shed to ensure America’s freedom.
- THE YELLOW RIBBON AROUND THE VASE - Represents a demand for proper accounting of those who are not among us today.
- A LEMON SLICE ON THE PLATE - To show a captive soldier’s bitter fate.
- GRAINS OF SALT ON THE PLATE - Reminds us of the countless fallen tears of families as they wait.
- AN INVERTED GLASS - Because they cannot toast with us.
- AN EMPTY CHAIR - Because they are not here.
- A WHITE CANDLE - For the hope all our missing will return.
The table is put together to honor the more than 80,000 military members still missing from previous conflicts.
“It assures today’s service men and women that should something happen to them, their nation will do everything possible to bring them home,” Cain said.
And for Cain, the empty chair is especially significant.
Her father was shot down over Laos in February 1966 and remains missing to this day.
“That empty chair has been empty for a long time and you can see it still is really tough to deal with,” she said. “I think the one thing that keeps me going is all the people and experiences, and when I see support like this, you don’t know what that does to a family member. It truly inspires and motivates us to keep going, to keep fighting.”
Cain serves on the Board of Directors for the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum that is growing at Cecil Field.
When it is completed, she said it will honor those who didn’t come back to sit in those chairs.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day is on Friday.
Cecil Field will host a recognition day event at 10 a.m. Saturday with live music and food at 6112 POW-MIA Memorial Pkwy, Jacksonville, FL 32221.