Former POW honored during table dedication
By Lynn Warren CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Andrew Nunner was the guest of honor when Defense Supply Center Richmond recently dedicated its POW/ MIA Missing Man table. Nunner spent three months as a POW in Germany during World War II.

Sixty-two years after being freed by General George Patton's forces, former prisoner of war Andrew Nunner of Midlothian was the honored guest at Defense Supply Center Richmond's (DSCR) recent dedication of its POW/MIA Missing Man table.

Situated in DSCR's restaurant, the table is a moving and symbolic reminder of "the brave men and women (both military and civilian) who answered our nation's call and served the cause of freedom in a special way," according to U.S. Department of Defense ceremonial guidelines.

"This Missing Man table is being established to honor and remember members of our military who are missing from our ranks," said Debra Bingham, DSCR public affairs officer. "Those of us who serve our nation are ever mindful that the sweetness of peace is not accomplished without the bitterness of personal sacrifice."

Nunner's own personal sacrifice began in January 1945 while he was serving as an Army staff sergeant with Company G of the 42nd Infantry "Rainbow" Division. Nunner's 12-man squad was attempting to take out a German machine gun position along the border of France and Germany when it was overrun by 100 German soldiers. Outnumbered, Nunner was captured and began a saga that would take him deep into Germany and into confinement at four separate POW stalags.

The Missing Man table is a symbolic reminder of the nation's POWs/MIAs.

After a five-day train ride, "most of it without food or water," Nunner recalled, he was confined to a stalag in Ludvicsburg, Germany. He was then marched 200 miles to another camp in Hammelburg. "We lived off of the land," Nunner remembered, "and passed thousands of German troops massed to defend against Patton's advance."

In an ironic twist, General Patton's son-in-law was also confined at Hammelburg, and Patton organized a sortie designed to free him. The rescue party was captured and added to the POW population at Hammelburg.

During another train ride to Nuremberg, "We were bombed and strafed by our own Air Force in the rail yard there," said Nunner. From there, he was forced to make a 14-day march to Muhlberg Sachsen, about 100 miles from Munich.

"I spent my twentieth birthday in a German stalag," Nunner remembered.

After three months with little food, living in unsanitary conditions, General Patton's forces freed Nunner and his fellow detainees on March 29, 1945.

Following the dedication of the Missing Man table, Nunner said, "I was very honored and very humbled. I never had anybody make such a fuss over me."

For those who dine at the restaurant, the table will offer a permanent memorial of all POWs/MIAs and is rich in symbolism. It is round to show everlasting concern for our missing men. The tablecloth is white to symbolize the purity of their motives. A single red rose in a red ribbon tied vase recalls the life of each of the missing as well as their loved ones and friends who keep the faith while awaiting answers. The red ribbon is a symbol of the continued determination to account for the missing. The table is set with white china.

The bread plate holds a slice of lemon to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land. A spilled pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and of the families who still seek answers. The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country. An inverted wineglass reminds us that the missing will not be able to share the day's toast. The chair is empty because they are missing.