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. Set for six, the empty places represent Americans still missing from each of the five services -- Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard – and civilians.  This Honors Ceremony symbolizes that they are with us, here in spirit. Some 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 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 and a civilian cap on each empty plate.

• 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 loved ones and friends of these Americans who keep the faith, awaiting answers.
  
  
• The vase is tied with a red 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 Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.
  
  
• The glass is inverted -- to symbolize their inability to share this evening's 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.