POW/MIA Chair of Honor donated by Rolling Thunder chapter for placement at City Hall

LACONIA — The city will honor prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action with an empty chair on display in the lobby of City Hall.

Council approved spending $800 to support the memorial from Rolling Thunder Inc. New Hampshire Chapter 1 at the meeting Oct. 13, following a presentation Robert McGuigan, a member of the veterans advocacy organization.

“We are the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves,” McGuigan said. “One of the most powerful ways a community can honor those missing heroes is through a POW/MIA Chair of Honor Memorial."

McGuigan brought with him a “simple, empty black chair” bearing the POW/MIA logo, and told the council they would donate it if the project were approved. The chair will be accompanied by a plaque explaining its meaning.

“If you do move forward with this, you’re welcome to use this chair,” McGuigan said. “It will be donated to you.”

For the families who are missing their loved one, he said the empty chair represents hope, and the promise they will never be forgotten.

“It is a symbol that speaks without words,” McGuigan said. “It reminds everyone, every person who walks by, that someone’s son, daughter, mother, father, or friend never came home.”

McGuigan said the organization is committed to one simple promise: prisoners of war and those missing in action won’t be forgotten.

“Across the nation there are more than 90,000 service members still unaccounted for,” McGuigan told the council. “That’s 90,000 families who never received any closure. Ninety thousand families' chairs that should be filled at dinner tables, graduations, homecomings, but aren’t.”

The nonprofit organization is in its 31st year, with more than 90 chapters across the U.S. and beyond. It is made up entirely of volunteers, and while it is commonly associated with its many motorcycle-riding members, it is not a motorcycle organization.

McGuigan was hoping councilors approve the memorial, as similar chairs stand in places of honor all across the nation. Those include city halls, sports complexes, public arenas, parks, and other visible areas. He said the important thing is to show they care.

“I’ve been working with [Kirk Beattie] to identify an appropriate location and structure here in Laconia,” he said, referring to the city manager. “We are recommending an indoor memorial consisting of a black chair flanked by the American flag and a POW flag, with the plaque explaining its purpose."

He told the council the hallway near the entrance to City Hall provides a “respectful and visible location. McGuigan provided photographs of other memorials.

“The cost to the city would be minimal,” he said. “We estimate it would be $800 to $1,000 if every component had to be purchased new, but most cities and towns already have flags and flag poles, and other equipment, that can be used to help offset some of that expense. But the value of this memorial goes far beyond its cost.”

McGuigan said this will provide a place for reflection, where veterans’ families and other visitors can pause and remember sacrifices made for their freedom. He said this could be a focal point for ceremonies and educational programs, as well as community events.

“It would stand as a permanent reminder that Laconia honors its veterans, not only in words, but in actions,” McGuigan said.

McGuigan showed the plaque and chair commonly used at memorials, and said they are customizable. The organization will help with planning and installation, as well as organizing an unveiling ceremony.

“Thank you very much; we appreciate it,” Mayor Mike Bordes said at the end of McGuigan’s presentation. “Thank you for your service, as well.”

Councilor Julia Nye (Ward 5) asked if the organization was from Laconia. McGuigan clarified it was nationwide, started in 1995, by Vietnam War veterans. They felt the need to raise public awareness after feeling not enough action was being taken by the U.S. government on POW/MIA issues.

He said they reached out to various veteran groups about a demonstration in Washington, D.C. The veteran groups held the protest three decades ago, starting the “Ride to the Wall,” and subsequently holding events each Memorial Day Weekend.

“That one year, we had over a million bikes there,” McGuigan said. “It was mainly a motorcycle event. We had over a million participants in that event.”

Nye asked if the organization holds a motorcycle event in Laconia. McGuigan said the POW/MIA Freedom Ride is held Thursday night during Laconia Motorcycle Week each year. Rolling Thunder and the POW/MIA organization in Meredith manage the ride, which starts in Gilford, and works its way through Laconia, ending at the POW/MIA memorial in Meredith’s Hesky Park.

Nye asked if there is a Laconia service member missing. While there isn’t one known, there are some from the Granite State. McGuigan said six veterans from Vietnam, and 42 veterans from the Korean War, have not returned. The list gets “quite long” when going back to world wars I and II.

Nye said memorializing POW/MIA veterans is important to her, and she understands the need to remember.

“I appreciate your efforts,” Nye said. “I had a father who was in the Air Force in World War II. He was 18 years old in the bubble of a plane as a gunner. People say he was not the same when he returned. I had a mother who lost a close friend on the beach of Italy in the same war. A babysitter who lost a classmate in Vietnam.”

A motion to approve the project was made by Councilor Mike Conant (Ward 6) and seconded by Councilor Bob Soucy, of Ward 2.

“I just think it is a great idea to honor POWs, our veterans in general,” Conant said. “I think it will be a great addition to City Hall.”

Council approved the project with a 5-0 vote. Ward 1 Councilor Jon Hildreth was not present for the meeting.

Beattie said last week the unveiling will take place sometime this fall.