Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand for our Missing Man Toast.

Beside each candle is a card. If you would, please pick up your card now.

Each of these cards bears the name of a comrade in arms who cannot be with us tonight.

We all know why.

Read the name on the card quietly to yourself. Familiarize yourself with him. Every one of you knows that it might just as easily be one of your names there.

The name on each card is the name of your personal guest of honor at tonight's banquet. Now, if you please, join me, and say his name.

[LONG PAUSE]

You are not forgotten.

You are here with us tonight. That table there in the center of the hall is set just for you. Had things been different, you might have been sitting with us tonight, toasting, laughing, telling us just how close you came that time and just how lucky you were.

God, how we miss you. Why you? Why YOU?

Life is so fragile, but oh, so dear.

Your tablecloth is white, symbolic of your willing response to your country's call to arms.

The single rose at your place setting is emblematic of the families and loved ones forever left behind.

The red ribbon is what we all still wear to bear witness to the continuing tragedy of POWs and MIAs as we unceasingly demand a proper accounting for those of you still missing and unaccounted for.

There is a slice of lemon there on your plate keeping us mindful of your bitter fate.

There is salt there, too, symbolic of the river of tears shed by families and loved ones.

Your glass is inverted, because you are not here to toast with us tonight. Your chair is empty because you are not here to sit with us tonight.

Our lives are incomplete because you are not here to be with us tonight.

You were there for us. We are still here, for you.

In honoring you, each of you, all of you, we stand silently and face the

table of honor . . . Your table. We stand silently in your absence.

Silently . . . except one more reading of your name.

[PAUSE]

Now, each of us will strike a match and light a candle in that ring of friendship.

[PAUSE]

But, our toast is not yet done. I will now ask each of you to be seated so that we may escort your special guest to the table of honor. Please remain seated for the balance of our toast.

Please seat the honored guest.

[Bagpipes & presentation of folded flag on table by a soldier in full dress uniform, very slowly and precisely, with salute - you could hear a pin drop]

With our guest now seated, I will invite you all to rise again, ladies and gentlemen.

Please raise your glasses. I ask you all to toast your honored guest.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, we can restore the lights, and dinner is served.