Props:
Script:
Those who have served and those currently serving the
uniformed services of the United States are ever mindful
that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been
tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are
compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily
pleasures, there are others who have endured and may
still be enduring the agonies of pain, deprivation and
internment.
Before we begin our activities this evening, we will
pause to recognize our POW's and MIA's.
We call your attention to this small table, which
occupies a place of dignity and honor near the head
table. It is set for one, symbolizing the fact that
members of our armed forces are missing from our ranks.
They are referred to as POW's and MIA's.
We call them comrades.
They are unable to be with their loved ones and families
tonight, so we join together to pay our humble tribute to
them, and bear witness to their continued absence.
This table, set for one, is small, symbolizing the
frailty of one prisoner, alone against his or her
suppressors.
The tablecloth is white, symbolic of the purity of their
intentions to respond to their country's call to
arms.
The single red rose in the vase, signifies the blood they
many have shed in sacrifice to ensure the freedom of our
beloved United States of America. This rose also reminds
us of the family and friends of our missing comrades who
keep the faith, while awaiting their return.
The yellow ribbon on the vase represents the yellow
ribbons worn on the lapels of the thousands who demand
with unyielding determination a proper accounting of our
comrades who are not among us tonight.
A slice of lemon on the plate reminds us of their bitter
fate.
The salt sprinkled on the plate reminds us of the
countless fallen tears of families as they wait.
The glass is inverted - they cannot toast with us this
night.
The chair is empty - they are not here.
The candle is reminiscent of 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.
Let us pray to the supreme commander that all of our
comrades will soon be back within our ranks.
Let us remember and never forget their sacrifices.
May god forever watch over them and protect them and
their families.
Play Taps and Some Gave All
YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN SO LONG AS THERE IS ONE LEFT IN WHOM YOUR MEMORY REMAINS.
In 1971, Mrs.Mary Hoff, an MIA wife and member of the National League of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, recognized the need for a symbol of our POW/MIAs. Prompted by an article in the Jacksonville, Florida TIMES-UNION, Mrs. Hoff contacted Norman Rivkees, Vice-President of Annin & Company which had made a banner for the newest member of the United Nations, the People's Republic of China, as a part of their policy to provide flags to all UN member nations. Mrs. Hoff found Mr. Rivkees very sympathetic to the POW/MIA issue, and he, along with Annin's advertising agency, designed a flag to represent our missing men. Following League approval, the flags were manufactured for distribution.
The flag is black, bearing in the center, in black and white, the emblem of the League. The emblem is a white disk bearing in black silhouette the bust of a man, watch tower with a guard holding a rifle, and a strand of barbed wire; above the disk are the white letters POW and MIA framing a white 5-pointed star; below the disk is a black and white wreath above the white motto YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN.
Concerned groups and individuals have altered the original POW/MIA Flag many times; the colors have been switched from black with white - to red, white and blue, -to white with black; the POW/MIA has at times been revised to MIA/POW. Such changes, however, are insignificant. The importance lies in the continued visibility of the symbol, a constant reminder of the plight of America's POW/MIA's.
On March 9,1989, a POW/MIA Flag, which flew over the White House on the 1988 National POW/MIA Recognition Day, was installed in the United States Capitol Rotunda as a result of legislation passed overwhelmingly during the 100th session of Congress. The leadership of both Houses hosted the installation ceremony in a demonstration of bipartisan congressional support. This POW/MIA Flag, the only flag displayed in the United States Capitol Rotunda, stands as a powerful symbol of our national commitment to our POW/MIAs until the fullest possible accounting for Americans still missing in Southeast Asia has been achieved.