Library Display: POW/MIA Day
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Friday, September 20, 2024
Repeats daily (to September 20)
- Porter Henderson Library
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Free
Visit the library to see the “Missing Man Table,” honoring Americans who were prisoners of war and those who served and never returned home.
National PW/MIA Day was established in 1979 through a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter. Since then, each president has issued an annual proclamation commemorating the third Friday in September as National POW/MIA Recognition Day.
The “Missing Man Table” was established around the time of the Vietnam War. It’s part of a ceremony at formal military dinners and other occasions and has been adopted by many civilian organizations. There have been many narratives written for the ceremony, but the symbolism is quite constant. The table is set with a white tablecloth, a plate containing a slice of lemon and a small amount of salt, an inverted glass, a single candle and a single red rose in a vase, around which is tied a red or yellow ribbon.