The McIntosh County Disabled American Veterans held a POW/MIA National Recognition Day on Friday, Sept. 20

at Veterans Park in Checotah. These veterans have vowed to never forget the nation’s POWs and MIAs who are still missing at their family tables.

The ceremony included a prayer and word from Pete Laughlin and then Brian Moore did thePOW/MIA table presentation.

The Missing Man Table is a table set for one to represent those who are still missing inaction or prisoners of war. The table is set apart and each item on the table has a symbolic meaning.

The small table – is set for one, representing the frailty of one prisoner, alone against his or her suppressors.

The white cloth – symbolizes the purity of their intentions to respond to their country’s call to arms.

The empty chair – depicts all who are not here with us.

The single red rose – signi- fies the blood they may have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of their beloved United States of America.

The black napkin stands for the emptiness and void these missing warriors have left in the hearts of their families and friends.

The yellow ribbon stands for the yellow ribbons worn on the lapels of the thousands who demand with unyielding determination a proper accounting of the comrades who are not among us.

The slice of lemon reminds us of the bitter fate of those missing, captured and held as prisoners in foreign lands.

The pinch of salt denotes the tears of the missing and their families who long for answers after decades of uncertainty.

The Holy Bible – represents the strength gained through faith in our country, founded as one nation under God, to sustain those lost from our midst.

The lighted candle reflects the light of hope which lives in our hearts to illuminate their way home, away from their captors, to the open arms of a grateful nation.

The inverted glass symbolizes their inability to share the evening’s toast.

According to The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) more than 83,000 service members are missing from conflicts from World War II to the present time — more than 73,000 from World War II; 7,000+ from the Korean War; 1,600+ from the Vietnam War; 126 service members from the Cold War era; and six from conflicts since 1991. Thirty Oklahomans remain unaccounted for. There are 1,220 Oklahoma MIAs from WWII, 143 from Korea and 30 from Vietnam.

There was also a complimentary, all American meal of hamburgers and hotdogs served to those who attended as the POW/MIA flag and the American flag flew over the park reminding all that freedom is not free.