Florida AFB Removes Controversial 'Missing Man Table'

By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News)– Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County, Fla., has recently removed a display honoring missing airmen from a base dining facility, according to International Christian Concern.

The “Missing Man Table” was intended to honor service personnel who didn’t return from combat. The table displayed an inverted glass, a single red rose, a yellow ribbon, a candle, a plate with lemon and salt and a Bible.

According to the Air Force Chiefs website, the presence of the Bible was to represent “the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God”. But according to Florida Today, a controversy about including a Bible in the display at the base’s Riverside Dining Facility led to the removal of the entire table.

In a prepared statement, base authorities told Today that the table would return to the dining facility, but it was unclear if the Bible would still be part of the display.

“The 45th Space Wing deeply desires to honor America’s Prisoners and War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) personnel. Unfortunately, the Bible’s presence or absence on the table at the Riverside Dining Facility ignited controversy and division, distracting from the table’s primary purpose of honoring POWs/MIAs.

“Consequently, we temporarily replaced the table with the POW/MIA flag in an effort to show our continued support of these heroes while seeking an acceptable solution to the controversy. After consultation with several relevant organizations, we now intend to re-introduce the POW/MIA table in a manner inclusive of all POWs/MIAs as well as Americans everywhere.”

Although the “several relevant organizations” aren’t identified, the inference that the presence of the Bible is contrary to inclusivity leaves little doubt as to who is behind this latest controversy.