At the Iwo Jima veteran’s reunion I attended a few days ago, they always place an empty chair at the front of the hall. They drape the chair with a POW/MIA shield. The symbolism is obvious.
This year, a contingent from the Young Marines from Hutchinson attended and presented the colors. Before the program started, one of the youngest of the Young Marines honored the POW/MIA’s by standing at attention while holding the folded shield. She stood beside an M-1 rifle, which was on display at the gathering. At first, I thought that she was kind of young to be a part of this and to know what the purpose of her standing at attention was. I then thought the better of it, knowing that it is ignorance which tends to cause us to turn inward rather than reach outward. Her going into life knowing that sacrifice is honorable will be preferable by far than the way others run into life thinking that the world owes them everything.