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- Pam Cain (from left), daughter of Col. Oscar Mauterer, stands during the National Anthem with Sam Mastrogicomo, Andy Ramotnik, and Capt. Bob Buehn on Monday Sept. 4, 2017 at the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp game at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. (Bob Mack/Florida Times-Union)
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- A plaque commemorates the POW/MIA “One Empty Chair” installed behind home plate and dedicated Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, by the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. (Bob Mack/Florida Times-Union)
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- >Andy Ramotnik, a former POW, cuts the ribbon to dedicate the chair as Harold Craw, Jumbo Shrimp general manager, and Capt. Bob Buehn, USN (Ret) hold the ribbon on Monday Sept. 4, 2017, at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. (Bob Mack/Florida Times-Union)
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp added an additional seat to their stadium Monday before the season finale that isn’t meant for anyone who will ever pass through the turnstiles.
The seat will forever remain vacant in honor of prisoners of war and missing-in-action service members to recognize the sacrifices they’ve made to the country. The chair of honor will be cordoned off to prevent people from sitting in it during home games going forward.
A dedication ceremony took place following Monday’s national anthem featuring members of a group working to bring a national POW/MIA memorial to the former Cecil Field Naval Air Station.
The group is working to raise money for the project and hopes tributes like the chair at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville will help with awareness, said Mike Cassata, president of the nonprofit.
Anyone interested in donating money can visit the group’s website powmiamemorial.org.
Joe Daraskevich,
Jacksonville.Com
