Restaurant Association of Maryland member restaurants across the state will honor fallen, missing or imprisoned U.S. Military Service members with a Memorial Day tradition.
Mission BBQ restaurants will have “Missing Man” tables starting Friday, May 26 to honor soldiers who have lost their lives or remain missing in action in the line of service. Montgomery County has two Mission BBQ restaurants, one in Germantown and the other in Rockville.
The tradition of the Missing Man Table started following the Vietnam War. The table is set in a specific fashion to display a number of symbolic objects, according to the War Memorial Center:
- The table is round, to show everlasting concern for missing service men and women.
- The tablecloth is white — symbolizing the purity of their motives.
- The glass is inverted to symbolize their inability to share this day’s toast.
- The candle symbolizes everlasting hope.
- The single red rose reminds us of their families and loved ones.
- A slice of lemon to remind us of their bitter fate.
- The salt symbolizes the tears of tehri families.
- The chair is empty. They are missing.
These tables are also referred to as a MIA/POW table, Empty Table or Fallen Soldier table.
Photo Courtesy Mission BBQ
Remember Memorial Day is not about Veterans in general. It is in recognition of those that have fallen while in service of our Country. This is a video of the Missing Man Table and the meaning of each item placed on it. #MemorialDay #FleetWeek #USAA pic.twitter.com/YLQxfZ4Nnm
— John Sweeney 🇺🇸 (@jsweeney10) May 25, 2023
