As students and community members gathered Tuesday morning to honor our nation’s veterans, an empty chair stood as a silent reminder of those soldiers absent but not forgotten.
A special Veterans Day program was held Tuesday at Happy Valley High School to honor the veterans of all wars for their service and dedication to their country.
Sonnie Mottern, who works with the Carter County Veterans Services Office, served as the master of ceremonies for the event.
After recognizing the veterans present at the ceremony, Mottern spoke on the importance of honoring our nation’s heroes.
“We are talking about men and women who have given of themselves and sacrificed more than the average citizen can understand,” he said. “We would have nothing in the way of freedom if not for the sacrifice of our nation’s veterans.”
For every soldier who served his country, Mottern said there is also a family deserving of thanks for their sacrifice as well — either through time away from their loved one or through the loss of that loved one.
“We need to take time every chance we get to thank a veteran,” he said. “Unless you are a veteran, you don’t know just how much it means to get a simple thanks.”
As part of the event, Mottern, a Vietnam veteran, led a special ceremony honoring those members of the military who were Prisoners of War or are listed as Missing In Action.
“Today we have an honored guest who can’t be with us but is deserving of our attention,” Mottern said as he began the Missing Man Table Ceremony with assistance from HVHS student Vanessa Dykes.
As part of the special remembrance for POWs and MIAs, a small table is set up and covered with a white table cloth. An empty chair covered with a black cloth adorned with the POW and MIA symbol sits beside the table.
The table is small, Mottern said, and it holds only one place setting to “symbolize the frailty of one prisoner alone against his oppressors.”
The cloth is white, he said, to symbolize the purity of the soldier’s intentions in responding to their country’s call to arms.
Several items rest atop the table, each with their own special significance – a candle to show the soldier’s unconquerable spirit; a slice of lemon on a bread plate to remind others of their bitter fate; salt to represent the tears shed by the lost and the tears of their families as they wait for their loved one’s return; a single red rose displayed in a vase to serve as a reminder of the families of those missing; an inverted drinking glass as those who are missing cannot toast in honor with their comrades; a Bible to signify the comfort of faith; and a black napkin, which Mottern said represents “the black hearts of some of our leaders and politicians for abandoning them.”
The chair is empty, he said, to signify the missing.
“Do not let them be forgotten for surely they have not forgotten us,” Mottern said. “At times like this, we like to repeat that promise and seal that promise with a salute to the empty chair.” He then turned and pointed to the chair as he said “You are not forgotten.” Mottern then raised his hand in a silent salute to the many Americans who were held as prisoners and those who are still missing in action.
Following the ceremony by Mottern, Ret. CMSgt. Sara Sellers spoke to the crowd and she also pointed out the importance of remembering the lost and missing.
“Let’s remember those who remain unaccounted for and ask God’s special blessings on their families,” she said. “Our nation will not forget these heroes and will not stop searching for them. Let’s support with prayer that they will someday be brought home.”
During the special program, members of HVHS’s Cadet Corps participated in a remembrance to the veterans of all wars as they placed American flags on a white cross – one for each of the 11 major wars and conflicts in our nation’s history.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Cadet Corps invited all veterans outside the school for a special ceremony to raise the American flag, which was followed by HVHS student Caleb Rice playing Taps on the trumpet.