The Empty Table
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Col. David W. Sutherland, US Army (Retired), Chairman & Co-Founder of the Dixon Center for Military and Beterans Community Services, was the Keynote speaker at a Red Cross (Philadelphia) event I photographed Friday.
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A table set for one, an empty chair, a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of salt on the lone plate that adorns a white tablecloth, accented with an upside-down glass and a single rose, its vase tied in a red ribbon.
"The Empty Table" display signifies the sacrifices of veterans --prisoners of war and those service members who remain missing in action.
The empty chair represents the person; the white tablecloth, the purity of their intentions when joining the service; the blood-red rose, a symbol of their sacrifice; the lemon, their bitter fate; the salt represents tears shed; and the inverted glass, no toasts with the missing comrade.
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Uploaded on March 23, 2014