A seat at Beaver Stadium will remain empty from now on to remember and honor U.S. military service members listed as prisoners of war or missing in action.
Penn State dedicated the Chair of Honor at a ceremony on Wednesday. Located in section SLU above the student section, the black seat honoring POW/MIA service members will be unveiled to the public during the Penn State football team’s home opener against Ball State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“While we are here at home, there are families that may be suffering due to the absence of a loved one that’s either a POW or MIA,” Eugene McFeely, director of Penn State’s Veteran Affairs and Services, said in a statement. “Currently, there are more than 81,600 service members listed as MIA. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing service members from past conflicts to their families and the nation. Nationally, POW/MIA seats remind us to exhaust all means to bring service members home.”
According to the university, Beaver Stadium is now the largest venue in the nation with a Chair of Honor.
The idea was first brought to Penn State by longtime Bellefonte resident Debra Burger. Her brother, Major Lewis P. Smith II, was a 1964 Penn State graduate and Blue Band trumpeter. An Air Force ROTC member, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force upon graduation.
In May 1968, Smith was shot down over Laos while flying a combat mission. He has been listed missing in action ever since.
Not knowing what happened to Smith was painful for his family, and Burger vowed to do everything she could to bring him home.
“Now we know where he is located, and we are hoping that he can come home, but it’s been a rollercoaster,” she said. “We’re not the only family going through this. Ultimately, it’s the desire for closure that keeps me going.
“This seat isn’t just for Lewis – it’s for everyone. I want young service members, like the Penn State students that are serving right now, to know that we are here for them and we’ll never leave them behind.”
Former University Park Undergraduate Association President Zachary McKay helped lead the Chair of Honor effort. A spring 2021 graduate and now an ensign in the U.S. Navy, McKay was the first ROTC member to serve as UPUA president.
“For the families of these service members, there will always be a part of themselves that is missing,” McKay said. “It can be easy to get caught up in our lives and not know that others around us are suffering. I hope that the empty seat hits home and reminds people in the stadium that families continue to be impacted.”
McKay, along with students, faculty and staff from across the university, secured a commitment from Penn State President Eric Barron to dedicate a POW/MIA seat in Beaver Stadium. It was originally scheduled to be unveiled last year, but that was delayed when COVID-19 kept Penn State from allowing fans in the stadium.
“I’m very grateful for everyone’s hard work and persistence, because this seat will serve as a powerful symbol of our duty to bring home our nation’s POW/MIA service members,” Barron said.
In addition to the chair of honor, Penn State will hold its annual 24-hour POW/MIA vigil on Old Main Lawn beginning at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17, which is National POW/MIA Recognition Day,
