CHAPTER 4: THE POW/MIA TABLE

When everyone finally arrived the program went off without a hitch. Lisa and Jack sat together watching it all. She would lean over and ask him questions about things going on and whether or not they were good. Every time she leaned over Jack could smell her hair and perfume. He smiled at her and explained the best way he could. He had been in the college level of ROTC and knew most of the stuff as he had been apart of the Color Guard and Drill Team for the unit. He enjoyed watching the young cadets march around they almost gave him faith in the future generation.

Lisa watched her daughter as she marched with a saber. The lights were dimmed and the POW/MIA table was being presented. Her daughter on more than one occasion tried to explain what the table was, but her mother just couldn't believe it until she saw it herself.

Tapp's played softly in the background as the five cadets marched in slowly. They took a step with their left foot bring and than brought their right one up to match there left one. Than they would step off with their right and continue the process until they made it the twenty feet to the table. The moon shown in lighting the empty table with one chair that was sitting pushed in empty. Tapp's stopped as soon as the cadet had circled the table an arm's length apart from each other. They stood with their heads bowed to the ground as the person read on. Each held an item in their hand.

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.

Jack was sucked in by the routine. He had seen many POW/MIA tables in his day it was a custom to have one at every Dining Out or Ball. He was taken back to Kosovo as he watched. He was happy that Lisa was not asking him questions because his mind was back in running away from people.

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.

Lisa broke her eyes from the table as she heard short breaths, not loud enough to alarm anyone not close, coming from the man Jack. She looked over and saw his blue eyes full of pain and she wondered what he was thinking about. The ceremony could be very touching, so her daughter told her, and she felt at the moment, but she just couldn't picture this man getting emotional over it unless it had some meaning to him.

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.

A cadet raised his head slowly and took a step while the cadet reading spoke. He slowly placed the rose on the table and took a small step back his heels clicking with a eerie sound breaking the silence as the reader took a breath. The moon acted as a spotlight on the table that gave the already grave ceremony an even more ceremonial remembrance feeling. When the reader finished the cadet stepped back drawling his sword ever so slowly, painfully slow, raising it over the table so his point pointed at the middle of the table his arm elevated to make an arch with the sword.

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.

On cue another cadet took her step forward tying the yellow ribbon around the vase slowly and ceremoniously. The entire point to the table was to be slow and ceremoniously it was considered a inexcusable error to mess up while doing the POW/MIA table because it held so much respect for the men and woman who had given their life up for the country.

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.

As before exactly on cue a cadet took a step up. One set the plate on the table in his hand he had salt they sprinkled on it. He placed a slice of lemon from his other hand on the plate. As the others he took his step back and drew his sword and raised it.

The glass is inverted - they cannot toast with us this night.

A female cadet did as everyone before her.

Jack could only here gun fire. Each clicking of the cadet shoe as they stepped back made him jump slightly. Lisa was so entranced by the man that she barely paid attention to the ceremony.

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.

Finally on cue Liz took her step up setting the candle on the table. She lit the match that she held in her other hand and lit the candle. She swiped the match out as she moved her hand down to her side putting the matches in her pocket, covertly as the audience never saw it, and pulled her sword slowly doing as all others had before her.

A few seconds of silence filled the air before the cadets started to side step around the table and Tap's began to play again.. A perfect arch made by the swords, all of the swords points meeting in the middle of the table. They were in step together their heel's came together at the same time making one loud booming noise. The cadets did two laps around the table before the lead started to march away as they had before coming to the table each step slow and bringing the lagging foot to meet the other before stepping off with that foot. After all cadets cleared the table they slowly put their swords back in their sheaths slowly while still marching. They held them two inches from being completely in the sheath and when the reached the end of the drill area they together stopped, and pushed the sword the rest of the way in adding to the noise of their heels coming together and the swords clinking in their sheaths.

Thomas broke the silence by welcoming everyone to the drill meet and setting up the schedule for the night. The cadets rushed off to dress for their competitions.

Lisa looked over at Jack who now in the light of the foyer was almost pale. "Are you ok?" She asked softly.

It took Jack a minute but finally he spoke, "Yeah." His voice cracked not making him very convincing.

"That was a lovely ceremony." Lisa tried to say to take the eerie feeling she was getting off Jack away.

"They did a great job." Jack said softly in his own thoughts still.