As a solemn tribute to prisoners of war and military members who are missing in action, Cuyahoga Community College recently held a “Chair of Honor” ceremony at its Eastern Campus remembering United States servicemen and women who have not returned home. The school’s POW/MIA Chair of Honor dedication took place at the Simon and Rose Mandel Theatre on Sept. 20, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which was established in 1979 through a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter. Tri-C partnered with Rolling Thunder Ohio Chapter 1 to place the black Chair of Honor. Tri-C Eastern Campus President and U.S. Army veteran Todd Kitchen, foreground, stands with members of Rolling Thunder Ohio Chapter 1 during the college’s observane of National POW/MIA Recognition Day on Sept. 20. (Submitted) “National POW/MIA Recognition Day honors all of our fellow Americans who were or may remain prisoners of war as well as those who never returned home,” said Todd Kitchen, Eastern Campus president and U.S. Army veteran. “At its center is a very important message to all of these individuals: ‘You are not forgotten.’ ” Additionally, the Chair of Honor supports Rolling Thunder’s mission to provide education and awareness of POW/MIA members and the loss and pain suffered by their families. The chair, provided by the Hussey Seating Company, is intended to remain perpetually empty as a reminder that there is still space for the more than 83,000 United States military men and women who have been unaccounted for since World War I. “The unoccupied seat we dedicate honors the memory of those brave men and women and the sacrifices they made serving our country,” Kitchen said, noting other chairs have been placed in various public spaces, from sports stadiums to small town government buildings. After the ceremony began with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and a presentation of colors by the Cleveland Police Color Guard, Kitchen and Tri-C alum Gwen Snorteland issued commemorative remarks, followed by a roll call and bell toll for missing persons. Tri-C JazzFest Academy student Brian Axiotis closed the ceremony by playing “Taps.” Kitchen served from 1989 to 1998, stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas and the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. He was also deployed to Germany and the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Tri-C’s support of United States military members dates to its founding in 1963, officials noted, adding the college has enrolled and supported more than 40,000 service members, with many graduating and starting successful civilian careers. The Chair of Honor remains perpetually empty as a remembrance of the more than 83,000 United States military men and women who have been unaccounted for since World War I. (Submitted)