Fallen Comrades Table
Last night, my unit had its annual Holiday Ball. I haven’t been to a formal Army ball in a long time and looked forward to the opportunity to don my Dress Blues and admire the heroes that surrounded me. But, what most impresses me about military balls is a ceremony we call the Fallen Comrade Ceremony. It happens at every ball without fail. Now, more than ever, that table signifies something personal to me. For those that aren’t familiar with the ceremony, I want to tell you about it.
At each ball, a table is set up and placed either near the official party or in a place of honor where everyone can see it. A description of the table is given during the part of the program where toasts are made to the services, our Commander In Chief, and other important entities.
The table is set for just one, symbolizing the frailty of one prisoner alone against his oppressors. The table cloth is always to symbolize the purity of the Soldier’s intent in answering his country’s call to duty. The rose is reminiscent of a Soldier’s loved ones, friends, and fellow troops left behind.
There is a slice of lemon on the plate to symbolize the bitter fate of our fallen brothers and sisters. Salt is added to remind us of the tears shed by his family. The glass (behind the red candle) is turned upside down. He cannot toast with us any longer. The chair is empty and leaned against the table to remind us he is not here. The helmet and boots signify the uniform he wore defending his country to the very end.
After the end of the description of the table a toast is proposed in honor of our fallen brothers and sisters. But, this time, we do not drink.
Here is a picture of me from Friday night at our unit ball.
SSG (RET) Susan Heikkila
June 5th, 2008 at 11:55 amThat table gets me every time. Now I have another table to choke up over, it’s a fallen comrade table for our firefighters that have fallen in the line of duty. I have had the honor for the last few years to be working on the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial that will be built on the capitol grounds in Little Rock. Since I’ve become a firefighter, I’ve come to realize that I left one “brotherhood” for another. The hard part is knowing the loss of a brother is felt just as strongly in the fire service as it was in the Army. Take care Top.
Susan Heikkila
US Army Retired
Ward Fire Dept, firefighter
2LT Meehan
December 4th, 2008 at 9:33 amThanks for posting this. We had one at our Ball back in April
and now I am coordinating to have this on an upcoming event. This helps alot.