The Emply Chair

The chair is empty but the table is arranged. It’s as if someone special were coming, and he is. The Missing Man is already here.

The chair, table and symbolic objects are the only decoration in the window of the new Sweet Spot store in Atlanta this day. Owners Karen and Tim Collins have put the things here. It’s Feb. 28. More about this in a moment.

Here’s what the one who pauses to look will see. — A red rose in a vase tied with yellow ribbon — A toasting glass turned upside down — A slice of lemon, a shaker of salt — Bible and a delicately folded American flag — Finally, a lighted candle This setting is a memorial for a fallen veteran. That’s why the chair is empty. The Missing Man Table is sometimes referred to as the “Fallen Comrade Table.” It is now a tradition in the United States military. Military men and women salute this memorial Tim and Karen put this table here on the Feb. 28 date because of Tim’s loss of squad mate Sgt. Aaron Pack in Desert Storm 1991. He was part of an artillery squad. Tim was also wounded by this exploding shell.

Sgt. Pack’s mahogany inscribed tablet is also here, with the words: Sgt. Aaron Pack KIA February 28, 1991 The United States Marine Corps Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia, Liberation of Kuwait The memorial is usually put up in military dining facilities. Understanding is required of the observer. The red rose is that given to grieving families. The upside toasting glass means it can’t be used any more. The lemon and salt are meant as bitterness. The American flag is as the one given at the conclusion of burial.

The lighted candle? It is the hope for the return of the fallen veteran, alive or dead.