If Jedi had a Symbolic Table

AFD 120524-091 1.6.2 wrote: MISSING MAN TABLE & HONORS CEREMONY
Courtesy of: NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN PRISONERS AND
MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Moderator: As you entered the dining area, you may have noticed a table at the front, raised to
call your attention to its purpose -- it is reserved to honor our missing loved ones [or missing
comrades in arms, for veterans]. Set for five, the empty places represent Americans still [our
men] missing from each of the five services -- Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast
Guard. This Honors Ceremony symbolizes that they are with us, here in spirit. Some [here] in
this room were very young when they were sent into combat; however, all Americans should
never forget the brave men and women who answered our nation's call [to serve] and served the
cause of freedom in a special way. I would like to ask you to stand, and remain standing for a
moment of silent prayer, as the Honor Guard places the five service covers on each empty plate.

Honor Guard: (In silence or with dignified, quiet music as background, the Honor Guard
moves into position around the table and simultaneously places the covers of the Army, Marine
Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, on the dinner plate at each table setting. The Honor
Guard then departs.)

Moderator: Please be seated....... I would like to explain the meaning of the items on this special
table. The table is round -- to show our everlasting concern for our missing men. The tablecloth
is white -- symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty. The single
red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and the(ir) loved ones
and friends of these Americans who keep the faith, awaiting answers. The vase is tied with a
yellow ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to account for our missing. A slice of
lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a
foreign land. A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their families
who seek answers. The glass is inverted -- to symbolize their inability to share this evening's
[morning’s/days] toast. The chairs are empty -- they are missing. Let us now raise our water
glasses in a toast to honor America's POW/MIAs and to the success of our efforts to account for
them.