MIDWAY MAYOR GRAYSON VANDEGRIFT speaks at the America’s White Table ceremony at Midway Cemetery on Friday, Sept. 19. (Photo courtesy of Woodford County Public Schools)
AMERICA’S WHITE TABLE, a ceremony to remember and honor America’s and Woodford County’s POW/MIAs, was set up at The District in Versailles on Friday, Sept. 19, with Woodford County Librarian Suzanne Conrad narrating each item on the table and its symbolism. She closed the ceremony with the family of P.O.W. Corporal Henry Carl, who returned home to Woodford County, bringing the white candle to the table and lighting it. The candle is an expression of the light of hope, which lives in our hearts to illuminate the way home for POW/MIAs. Pictured from left, Wyatt, Westin and Walker Shelters, with their grandmother, Magistrate Kelly Carl, and Conrad at the podium. (Photo courtesy of the office of Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay)
Woodford County honored its own on Prisoners of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day held both at the Midway Cemetery and the Versailles Market and Entertainment District’s pavilion on Friday, Sept. 19. The event was sponsored by American Legion Post 67, the Woodford County Library, Woodford County Veterans Commission, the cities of Midway and Versailles, and Woodford County Judge Executive James Kay.
While both events featured speakers, the centerpiece of the annual event was “America’s White Table.”
Though little known outside the armed forces community until recently, America’s White Table is a poignant remembrance of the approximately 81,000 American armed service members who remain unaccounted for from World War II to the present conflicts according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Woodford County Librarian Suzanne Conrad, the daughter of a World War II prisoner of war and one of the prime movers behind Woodford County’s large, annual White Table ceremony, described the history of the White Table, and the meanings underlying each item on the table. The table was created by the Red River Pilots Association during the Viet Nam War. Known as the “River Rats,” they flew numerous dangerous missions into the combat zone around Hanoi. Soon after, the idea spread to mess halls, bases, and individual homes as a way to make it clear the missing or imprisoned had not been forgotten, and so an empty seat for him or her was waiting to be filled.
As Conrad explained, each item at the table is imbued with great significance. For example, the table is set for one to symbolize the frailty of one prisoner, alone, and one is missing from the ranks and their family. The white tablecloth is symbolic of the purity of their intentions to respond to the country’s call to arms, the single red rose the blood many have shed for our freedom, and the slice of lemon reminds us of their bitter fate.
Finally, with emotion causing her voice to waver a bit, Conrad introduced Wyatt, Westin, and Walker Shelters, whose great-uncle Cpl. Henry Carl was a P.O.W. During World War II, to bring the candle to the table and light it with their Grandmother Kelly Carl, a magistrate on the Fiscal Court. Conrad explained the candle reminds us of the light of hope in our hearts they will find their way home.
The full list and meanings can be found at va.gov/hines-health-care/stories/an-empty-seat-a-powerful-symbol/.
Legion Post 67 suggests families create their own White Table at home. Woodford County Library will have a table up at both the main location on Main Street and the Midway Branch.
Versailles Mayor Laura Dake began her remarks with a personal anecdote, to which anyone over the age of seven could relate. “When I was a little girl, I remember going into variety stores with my mom and seeing big, round containers of silver-colored bracelets. Some of you will remember them – they were POW/MIA bracelets that were produced by the thousands during the last few years of the
Vietnam War. Each one had the name of a soldier, his rank, the date and from where he was captured or reported missing. I wanted a bracelet so badly, but my mother would never buy one for me. I was very young, and I suspect she didn’t want me to feel sad if the soldier whose name was on my bracelet didn’t come home alive or come home at all.”
Dake then went on to stress the importantce, “What I couldn’t understand as a child, I see clearly as an adult: each name on those bracelets represented an American service member, yes, but also a son, a brother, a father, a husband, and a friend. Behind each name was a life interrupted, a family’s hope and heartbreak, and a nation deeply indebted to their valor, courage, and sacrifice. The agonizing pain these families must have felt while they waited for word about the fate of their loved one is something no one should have to experience. (Today), we honor (those who’ve not been returned) by remembering. Not with a name on a bracelet, but with their collective sacrifice on our hearts. Remembering bridges generations, connecting those who served with those who carry on their legacy. Remembering teaches us about the heavy cost of freedom and our responsibility as citizens of this great nation. For your bravery, sense of duty and sacrifice, you are not forgotten.”
Woodford County Judge Executive James Kay said, “We are here to honor a promise made to those who answered the call of duty, who went through unimaginable horrors, and those who never came home – home to Woodford County, a place where we have given so many of our best and brightest throughout the generations. We renew our commitment to them and their families.” Kay acknowledged the recent disunity in our country, saying “. . . society’s division fails to recognize a profound truth, the men and women who sacrificed and did not come home. They stood united for us. We have a great division, that today we think is between people. But, the chasm is the void left by those we’ve lost. It is a division that we as Americans are required to bridge with our unwavering remembrances and tireless efforts. The great divide speaks of a shift that can tear us apart. But, today, we seek to bridge that chasm through unity, through prayer, and enduring hope.”
The White Table event saw Midway Councilman Logan Nance, a veteran, and Mayor Grayson Vandegrift address the solemnity of the moment and the sacred nature of the memories being invoked. “Days like today make me feel very grateful. I’m grateful for the brave men and women who serve and have served our country and all the ideals it stands for,” Vandegrift said. “I’m grateful for each and every person here at this ceremony today. I’m grateful that this weekend, our city will welcome tens of thousands to our Fall Festival. Bringing that many into the city of about 1,800 will cause us to make some sacrifices, but that’s nothing compared to the sacrifices made by (Woodford County POW/MIAs,, the names of which he began reading).
The Woodford Countians who were either imprisoned as POW or continue MIA, were read by Kay in Versailles and Vandegrift in Midway: Pvt. Ansel Crick, Cpt. Calvin Currens, Sgt. Robert Duncan, Seaman Elmo Howard, Pvt. Burnett Lamont, Jr., Pvt. William Mitchell, Watertender Jack Utterback, Sgt. Virgil Wells, Cpl. Henry Carl, Sgt. Bill Clark, Sgt. Kenneth Portwood, Cpl. Russell Foley, Sr., Cpl. Roscoe Roark, and Lt. Charles Kazee.