VFW Ceremony Honors Fallen Veterans
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Mickell Dunn raises the American flag to full staff at noon Monday during Memorial Day ceremonies at VFW Post 4100 in Water Valley. Dunn explained the long-standing Memorial Day tradition of flying the flag at half-staff during the morning hours to honor the nation’s war dead before raising it at noon in recognition of the living and the freedoms secured through military sacrifice.
WATER VALLEY – Veterans, families and community members gathered Monday morning at VFW Post 4100 for a Memorial Day service focused not only on honoring fallen service members but also explaining the traditions and symbols connected to military remembrance.
Quartermaster Mickell Dunn served as speaker for the ceremony, while Shawn Truss performed “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Dunn spent much of the program walking attendees through the meaning behind items displayed near the front of the room, including the POW/MIA chair and Missing Man Table. He said many people see the displays at ceremonies without understanding the symbolism connected to them.
“Everything that you’ve seen before you is laid out in such a fashion because it has meaning,” Dunn said.
Dunn explained that the POW/MIA chair is traditionally placed to the right side of the speaker and remains empty to honor prisoners of war and those still missing in action. Nearby sat the Missing Man Table, which Dunn described item by item during his remarks.
“The table is round, as you can see, and that shows our everlasting concern for our missing comrades,” Dunn said. “The table is small and set for one, symbolizing the vulnerability of a lone prisoner.”
VFW Quartermaster Mickell Dunn places red flowers on the memorial shrine Monday during Memorial Day observances at VFW Post 4100 in Water Valley. During the ceremony, Dunn explained the red flowers symbolized the zeal and sacrifice of departed comrades honored for their military service.
He explained the empty chair represented missing service members, while the white tablecloth symbolized the purity of those answering the call to duty. A rose represented families waiting at home, salt represented tears shed by loved ones and a candle symbolized hope for the safe return of those still missing.
Dunn said even the placement of the American flag during ceremonies carries historical meaning. He explained that the nation’s flag is placed to the speaker’s right because historically the highest-ranking soldier rode on the right side of a military column.
He also discussed the “space of honor” between the American flag and the next highest-ranking flag, noting that the area traditionally should not be crossed during ceremonies.
During the service, Dunn explained the tradition of flying the American flag at half-staff during the morning hours of Memorial Day before raising it to full staff at noon.
“There’s a reason, there’s a way and there’s an etiquette for the flag to be at half-staff,” Dunn said.
He described how flags should first be raised fully to the top of the pole before being lowered to half-staff and said the same process is followed when lowering the flag later in the day.
“Every flag that we retire deserves a last salute,” Dunn said.
Dunn also reflected on the human cost of war, saying World War II remained America’s deadliest conflict in terms of military deaths. He said the combined total of American military deaths throughout the nation’s history now stands at roughly 1.3 million service members.
To help place the number in perspective, Dunn compared the total to the population of Dallas, Texas.
“That’s a lot of lives that have been given so this country and you and I can be free,” Dunn said. “Some cook out at the barbecue. Others get drunk and don’t even know it’s a day. They can do that because of the sacrifices made for our country.”
The service also included prayers, patriotic readings and symbolic flower tributes honoring fallen veterans. Dunn closed the program by encouraging those in attendance to continue remembering the sacrifices made by military service members and their families.
