The Missing Man Table: Meaning and Remembrance

An empty place at a gathering can say something words cannot. The POW/MIA Missing Man Table honors service members who were prisoners of war or remain missing and reminds those present of their families.

What the table represents

Details vary between ceremonies. Common symbols include an empty chair for those absent; a white cloth for the motives with which they answered the call; and a rose for the missing and the loved ones waiting for answers. Lemon recalls a bitter fate, salt recalls tears, and an inverted glass acknowledges that the missing cannot join the toast. Some arrangements use a round table, candle, ribbon, or book of faith.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency provides sample ceremonies and explains these traditions in its POW/MIA Recognition Day toolkit. Use the guidance of the organization hosting the remembrance; there is no need to turn variations into a competition over the display.

Make room for remembrance

Introduce the table briefly and respectfully, explain the chosen elements, and allow a moment of quiet. Keep the focus on the missing and their families. If you are organizing a ceremony, ask a local veterans organization for help with the presentation.

Remembering at Pillars of Valor

The Missing Man Table was included in the program for our 2026 Dinner & Hunt. Remembering those absent belongs alongside gratitude for those in the room.

Project Valor also preserves the individual stories of service. Read about Don, Chester Henderson, and Chris Jackson to meet some of the people behind the mission.