Elmore will be first county to fly POW/MIA flag

Commander Tom Koester presents the flag to Commissioner Shaw.

Elmore County will be the first and only county in the state to fly a POW/MIA flag, following the presentation of such a flag to the county during special ceremonies Monday by American Legion Post No. 26.

"We, in the American Legion, along with the other (veterans') service organizations, do not take the presentation of a POW/MIA flag lightly," said Wade Baumgardner, emcee for the event.

"Those who serve and currently serve our country (know the) bitterness of personal sacrifice," he told the sparse crowd of city and county officials that gathered at War Memorial Hall.

"There are others who have endured, and may still be enduring," the privations of captivity, he said.

At the heart of the presentation ceremony was a small table, set for one, that represents all those who are missing in action. "We call them comrades, and we pay tribute and bear witness to their continued imprisonment," Baumgardner said.

Each element at the table had a symbolic meaning, from the white tablecloth "representing the purity of their intention," to a single rose, "the symbol of blood shed and those who have faith in their return."

"Let us pray to our Supreme Commander," Baumgardner said, "that all our comrades will return. Let us never forget them."

At the conclusion of the ceremony Post Commander Tom Koester presented the flag to County Commissioner Arlie Shaw, asking him to "please fly it with dignity."