The Fallen Warrior Table
Among the many ways we can honor our fallen warriors is the Missing Man, or Missing Warrior, Table. A recent article entitled “The Empty Place Setting at the Table” discusses this poignant tradition and described some of the history behind it:
All across America, families of service members—those fortunate their family member returned home and those whose family member tragically did not—will leave a place setting at their holiday table for those who never came home.
For many, it is a solemn reminder of sacrifice and loss, but for many more, the empty place setting also sparks great memories and, ultimately, great stories.
The ultimate fear among soldiers who went off to fight for their country, explains retired Army Captain Tyler Merritt, is that their sacrifice and service will be forgotten as time fades or dismissed as society’s attitudes turn on the reason they were sent into battle.
Merritt explains in the military family, the empty place setting is referred to as the “missing man table,” adding many believe the practice gained national attention during the Vietnam War when so many soldiers vanished during military operations. The prisoner-of-war/missing-in-action movement emerged as a result.
“Today, the missing man or fallen comrades table is a recognized part of military ceremonial functions, mess halls, and American Legions,” said Merritt, who was a member of the Army’s elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
The article contains the astonishing statistic that nearly 1.3 million American citizens have given their life defending our Nation, including 620,000 in the Civil War and 450,000 in WWII. And a veteran, Capt. Tyler Merritt, U.S. Army, Ret’d, is quoted as saying that while
Every soldier goes into battle understanding they may or may not come out alive. What they fear most is that no one will say their name again and that their sacrifice and service will be forgotten.
Also discussed in the article is the Travis Manion Foundation, established in memory of a warrior who gave his life in Anbar Province, Iraq:
Fifteen years ago, 1st Lieutenant Travis L. Manion of the U.S. Marine Corps was killed during combat operations in April 2007 in the Anbar province of Iraq while serving his second tour of duty. The Pennsylvania native was assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Pendleton, California. He was only 26 years old.
Ryan Manion, the daughter of a Marine Corps colonel and sister of Travis Manion, has made it her life’s mission to make sure her brother’s name, along with his call to service and the ultimate sacrifice he made, is never forgotten through the Travis Manion Foundation, or TMF, that she has run as the executive director since 2009.
Her brother and his fellow Marines were ambushed while searching a suspected insurgent house in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. A sniper killed the Doylestown native as he was drawing fire away from his wounded teammates; he was awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor.
Ryan Manion described the Missing Man Table practice as follows:
Manion finds the practice incredibly meaningful. “I think it’s beautiful. There are times where I’ve walked into a restaurant, and I’ve seen it at a family-owned restaurant, and I think it’s so beautiful that they go out of their way to do that. I love it when I see it at events,” she said.
As I read that passage I was reminded of my pride in one of our local restaurants, Lillo’s Tuscan Grill, which displays the Missing Man Table at its entrance. We stop at the table every time we enter to take a moment to remember those symbolized by that somber setting.
Here is a link to a brief video describing the elements shown in the setting followed by a pictorial describing the elements:
https://d34w7g4gy10iej.cloudfront.net/video/1909/DOD_107241818/DOD_107241818.mp4
It is my wish that the families of those who gave their lives for our Nation may, if it is at all possible, soften the unimaginable hurt and anguish they have suffered by remembering their loved one however they can, perhaps by the Missing Warrior Table.
God Bless America.