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Chair reserved for veterans comes to WSU Nutter Center

POW/MIA Chair Photographer Ivan Mallett/SGA

 

Wright State University will honor veterans with a chair in the Nutter Center reserved for soldiers who were prisoners of war or went missing in action since World War I. An inaugural ceremony for the placement of the chair will take place on Saturday, Jan. 26.

The chair will remain empty at sporting events and will serve as a reminder that there will always be a place waiting for those who have served their country.

Ivan Mallett, chief of staff for Student Government, who has led the project, said he felt passionate since he first arrived at Wright State.

“I’m a veteran myself, and I remember when I first came to campus in 2014, I had noticed the flag pole outside and I really wanted to put a POW/MIA flag on the flagpole,” said Mallett. “Once I got involved in Student Government, I was really able to take it to the next step and get a POW MIA Chair of Honor put in at the Nutter Center.”

Funds for the chair were raised from donations and The Student Government Association worked closely with the Veteran and Military Center on campus with funds from the Champion Garden Fund.

“It’s a wonderful idea,” said Seth Gordon, director of the Veterans and Military Center, who supported the student-led initiative.

“The symbolism behind the POW Missing Man chair is very powerful and very important. It helps us remember that a lot of people have sacrificed things and never come home. We need to be reminded of that,” Gordon said.

The chair will be placed near the main entrance of the Nutter Center in the handicap accessible seating, where it will receive the most foot traffic and be clearly visible to those who visit.

Mallett hopes that the chair will serve as a reminder for those who are not always remembered in our everyday lives.

“I hope that it will remind people of those who are typically forgotten,” Mallett said. “You don’t typically in your normal day think of those who are missing in action still from the Korean War or the Vietnam War that have gone overseas. If it gives them a minute or two to reflect upon that, then that would be a great impact.”

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