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Published Saturday, September 19, 2009 in Local

Photo by Elizabeth Melville

A veteran kneels beside the POW/MIA table set up for ceremonies at Veterans Memorial Plaza Friday.

Veterans observe POW/MIA day

By Elizabeth Melville

The Newnan Times-Herald

National POW/MIA day was observed locally at Newnan's Veterans Memorial Plaza Friday morning to remember prisoners of war and servicemen and servicewomen who are or were missing in action.

Proclamations were read by Newnan Mayor Keith Brady and Coweta County Administrator Theron Gay to honor the extraordinary courage of this country's prisoners of war.

The United States has committed to continue searching until there's a full accounting of the soldiers from all military engagements. There are 32 unaccounted-for soldiers in Georgia from the Vietnam war alone. One of the soldiers, Johnny C. Calhoun, was from Newnan. He went missing during an incident on March 27, 1968, according to Post 57 representative John Lager.

Local veterans observed the national day of remembrance with the traditional missing man table, which contains place settings to represent each branch of service, as well as a place at the table for members of the news media who were taken captive or who haven't been accounted for.

The round table itself symbolizes the everlasting concern for these people. Every other item on the table is placed deliberately in order to keep the memory of these men and women alive.

Dick Stender, Coweta veterans advocate and past commander of American Legion Post 57, said he hears people say that the country no longer has prisoners of war. He also hears that those still missing will never be found. Stender says that's the worst message that can be given to these soldiers' family members who've had no closure.

And so the work continues to bring every POW and MIA home from war -- especially from the Vietnam and Korean conflicts -- and provide comfort to those families.

Among those in attendance for the brief service Friday, there were approximately 288 years of service to this country represented.

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