Missing man table a reminder of Memorial Day sacrifices

Locals gathered in Palm Springs Saturday to kick off their Memorial Day weekend to honor service men and women, who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country.

It’s a lively atmosphere at the American Legion post in Palm Springs with music being played, and people enjoying refreshments. But there remains a table with a single chair remaining empty.

“I think it’s wonderful. I don’t know of any other place that has that. It’s an empty chair and it says POW/MIA on it,” Claire Brigman, who lives in Palm Springs, said.

It’s the missing man table honoring every service member that never made it home. The display is rife with symbolism, from the slice of lemon representing the bitterness of war to the salt representing tears shed by family members, and a single rose, a reminder of missing loved ones.

“They’re not here to smell that rose. We are. They’re not here to drink out of that glass. We are. The empty chair itself…hopefully their spirit is sitting in that chair,” Brigman said.

A chair where the portrait of Owen Coffman is hanging above. He was the first person killed in action from Palm Springs during World War II. It’s a sacrifice one veteran says he always remembers.

“When I see him…what I do is I salute him every time that I come in here,” Arthur G. Brigman, a Korean War veteran, said.

For Sandra Sutter, the table and portrait bring back memories of her uncle who was also killed in action during WWII.

“I got chills when I saw that and read his story because it was around the same time exactly with my uncle,” Sutter said.

The table for one will remain permanently reserved to provide a constant reminder about the price of freedom.

“I’m just proud to be an American thanks to them. Very proud,” Claire Brigman said.