14:13 pm Rolling Thunder unveils “Never Forgotten Chair” at HVHS
Veterans from across East Tennessee gathered at Happy Valley High School on Tuesday morning for the dedication ceremony of a monument to honor their comrades-in-arms who have never come home.
Dozens of members from Rolling Thunder-Tennessee Chapter 4 joined with the faculty, staff and student body of HVHS yesterday to unveil the “Never Forgotten POW/MIA Missing Man Chair.” The chair was placed underneath the flagpole at the entrance to the school.
Earl Leonard of the area chapter of Rolling Thunder commented that the chair “is dedicated to the 92,000 men and women who have never returned home from all the previous wars.” Leonard serves as the chairperson for Rolling Thunder’s Missing Man Chair program.
The concept behind the chairs originated in the East Tennessee area. Leonard said Tennessee Chapter 4 is currently the only chartered group in Rolling Thunder that has placed the missing man chairs at schools and other venues. “That’s something we would like to see change. Right now, we’re the only chapter doing this, but we’re looking to get this program going across the country. We have branched out and talked to other chapters in other states and they’ve shown some interest in picking up the idea,” Leonard commented.
The chair at Happy Valley High School will be the eighth chair sponsored by the local chapter of Rolling Thunder. Leonard said they have also placed chairs at Daniel Boone and David Crockett High Schools in Washington County, Bristol Motor Speedway, Smokies Park in Sevierville, Devault Field in Bristol, Cumberland Memorial Park and the Washington County Justice Center in Jonesborough.
Leonard said the effort to place a chair at HVHS was led by Sarah Sellers and Principal Terry Hubbard. He thanked them for their assistance in getting approval for the monument from the Carter County Board of Education. The school board approved the motion that paved the way for the missing man chair in late 2011.
During the Tuesday morning event, members of Rolling Thunder participated in ceremonies to commemorate the thousands of servicemembers who are still missing-in-action or prisoners-of-war. The ceremony included a table with numerous items to symbolize the sacrifice of the men and women who are missing or who are prisoners-of-war. Chapter President Wayne Musick said he hopes the ceremony and the new chair “will be a constant reminder of all those who have never come home.”
Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a non-profit organization with over 90 chartered chapters across the United States. Their membership also includes members who live overseas. The founders of the organization chose their name from the 1965 Operation Rolling Thunder bombing campaign of North Vietnam. Although Rolling Thunder was first incoporated in 1995, the organization has roots in a 1988 march and demonstration on Washington, D.C. that demanded an increased effort to undertake a full accounting of all POW’s and MIA’s.
Throughout its existence, Rolling Thunder, Inc. has been active in raising awareness about the 92,000 POW/MIA’s who have never come home. Since the organization was first formed, Musick commented that they have assisted in returning 500 POW/MIA’s to the United States. “Being able to bring these servicemen home helps provide some closure for their families,” he said.
Musick noted that advances in modern science have helped identify soldiers by using their DNA. “Technology today has allowed for the identification of a lot of servicemen who couldn’t be identified decades ago. In fact, we have even been able to determine the identity of some World War I veterans over the last couple of years,” said Musick.
Last week, the remains of Cpl. William Ray Sluss returned home to Gate City, Va. for burial. Sluss, who was captured on Nov. 30, 1950 by North Korean forces, was declared dead in 1954. He received military honors during a funeral in Weber City, Va. last Saturday. When the hearse containing Sluss’ body reached the Tennessee state line last week, state troopers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol and members of Rolling Thunder were on-hand for a motorcycle escort.
In addition to their efforts to bring POW/MIA’s home, Rolling Thunder also assists veterans and active military members and their families who are in need of financial help through Rolling Thunder Charities.
Rolling Thunder Tennessee Chapter 4 was first organized in 2003. “In less than three years time, we became the largest chapter of Rolling Thunder in the entire world,” Musick said. The local organization presently has a membership of over 200.
For additional information about the area chapter of Rolling Thunder, go to www.rollingthundertn4.com.
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