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Soldier Field Reserves Empty Seat For POW-MIA Cause

Soldier Field Honors POW-MIAs

(CBS) -- Among the 61,501 seats at Soldier Field, one is intended to remain unoccupied.

Veterans gathered at the stadium for a ceremony Thursday dedicating a "Chair of Honor" for those who have gone missing in America's wars.

The POW-MIA chair includes a plaque that reads, in part: "You Will Not Be Forgotten."

It was the work of a group of largely motorcycle-riding veterans whose mission is to educate the public about POW-MIA issues.

Members of Rolling Thunder Illinois were on hand when the chair, overlooking the south end zone, was unveiled today.  They said it means a lot to them to have the chair and plaque in a place where it will be seen by so many people.

The state's Director of Veteran's Affairs, Erica Jeffries, an Army veteran, noted there are 83,000 POW-MIAs. That's about 20,000 more than the seating capacity of Soldier Field.

The number of missing from Illinois is about 70 from the Vietnam War alone, and one of the veterans suggested that maybe one day someone would turn up and sit in the chair.

Until then, the chair is intended to remain unoccupied.

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