Andrews – More local restaurants will have a special table reserved year-round for soldiers who are missing.
The Missing Man Table saves a place for those who are missing in action or prisoners of war. A table is often set aside for Memorial Day, but as American Legion Post 96 Commander Larry Thunderwolf Limon said during the Veteran Forces meeting on Feb. 12, the remembrance is not something that should be considered only once a year.
“They’re not just missing on Memorial Day,” Limon said.
Both the Veterans Building in Peachtree and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7620 in Andrews have tables reserved year-round, and Limon is asking every local restaurant to do the same. So far, the owners of Grandpa Charlie’s Country Cookin’ in Andrews and Julie’s Place in Peachtree have been receptive to the idea, Limon said.
The idea started as Limon was casually talking with the Callahans, owners of Grandpa Charlie’s, as they were still working on the restaurant. Angie Callahan said it was a mutual decision to add the table, and she is already planning other ways to honor veterans.
“It was the least I could do,” she said. “I just feel they need to be honored.”
Callahan said her grandpa, Charlie Goodenough, was in the U.S. Army, while her other grandfather, John Clayton, served in the Army and was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Her grandmother, father and older brother also served in the military.
Limon said it made him feel proud and patriotic to see the table at the local restaurant.
“It’s fantastic they’ve embraced it so well,” he said.
American Legion Post 96 will help restaurants set up a table; all the restaurant has to do is provide a table and a spot for it. Each item placed on the Missing Man Table symbolizes something:
- The single red rose in a vase represents the lives of the missing and the loved ones who wait for answers, while the red ribbon around the vase shows determination for the missing.
- The lemon slice on the plate is a reminder of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign country.
- The salt represents the tears of the missing and their loved ones.
- The Bible represents the strength gained through faith.
- The inverted glass represents their inability to share in the toast.
- The chair is empty to represent their absence.
According to the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, there are more than 81,900 Americans still missing from World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, the cold war, Gulf Wars and other conflicts. For details, contact American Legion Post 96 on Facebook or call Limon at 361-6193.