Missing man table and honors ceremony This table is reserved to honor missing loved comrades. Set for six, the empty places represent our men missing from each of the five services — Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard — and civilians. These brave men and women answered our nation’scall and served the cause of freedom. by Staff Sgt. Adrian Cadiz Staff Sgt. Christopher Culbreth solemnly honors the POW/MIA table during a reception at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. One of the five service covers or a civilian cap is placed on each empty plate to symbolize their sacrifices. The round table shows our everlasting concern for our men still missing. The white cloth symbolizes 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 their loved ones and friends who keep the faith, awaiting answers. The vase is tied with a red ribbon, a symbol of our continued determination to account for our missing. A slice of lemon on the bread plate reminds 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 Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God. The inverted glass symbolizes their inability to share in a toast. The chairs are empty — they are missing, but not forgotten.