MONTICELLO — According to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), there are still over 1,600 Americans unaccounted for in Southeast Asia.

Americans across the country took a moment last Friday to observe this solemn fact.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which is observed every year on the third Friday in September, was started in 1990 as a way to honor former prisoners of war and those who are still missing.

Local attorney Marcia Heller delivered a rendition of the National Anthem to open the ceremony. She led the crowd in singing God Bless America before the Sullivan County Veterans Coalition retired the colors.

Beside the podium was a small table set for a guest of honor who was not in attendance.

“This table is our way of symbolizing the fact that members of our profession of arms are missing from our midsts,” said John Crotty, Director of the Sullivan County Veterans Service Agency.

Each detail of the table held some special significance relevant to the occasion. The fact that it was small and set for one signified the isolation and loneliness of one soldier against his captors.

The white tablecloth symbolized the purity of their intentions to respond to their country's call for arms.

A single red rose displayed in a glass vase is meant to remind us of the families of those captured or missing who keep the faith awaiting their return.

A slice of lemon is symbolic of the bitter fate of many who never came home, and salt upon a bread plate symbolizes the family's tears of not knowing.

An empty wine glass sits on the table upside down, unable to be raised in a toast.

“The POW/MIA flag is a reminder of our sacred obligation to the men and women that we place in harm's way,” said retired Air Force Captain and keynote speaker, John McCloud. “Due to an extraordinary cooperation between foreign partners, non-governmental agencies and JPAC, the remains of hundreds of our fallen have been returned home for a proper burial.”

McCloud said more advanced forensic identification methods have also contributed toward giving families the closure they deserve.

“Our mission is not complete until all of our fallen are finally home.”