Todd Farrar, Veteran Service Officer for the Washington County Veterans Service Office, arranges symbols on the POW-MIA table at the Washington County Veterans Hall of Fame while WCVSO Executive Director Robert Fitzgerald reads “The Soldier’s Table.” (Photo by Nancy Taylor)

The table. . . . . . . .honors the men and women who served our country.

The table is round. . . . . . . .to show our everlasting devotion and concern for our fallen and missing comrades.

The cloth is white. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.

The single red rose in a vase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .reminds us of the life and the blood that was shed, and their loved ones and friends who keep the faith and await answers.

The vase is tied with a red ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . symbol of our commitment and continued determination to account for our missing

A slice of lemon on the plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land.

The salt . . . . . . is to remind us of the tears endured by those missing their families, families who still seek answers.

The glass is inverted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to symbolize their inability to share this evening with us.

The chair is empty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..and tilted; they are not here, and will remain so until they return or are accounted for.

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“You are not forgotten so long as there is one left in whom your memory remains.”