POW/MIA Chair of Honor installed at McHenry County courthouse

In 2013, the remains of U.S. Army Cpl. Donald Victor MacLean, who died while serving in Korea, were returned to his family in McHenry County — 63 years after he was listed as missing in action.

MacLean was from the Crystal Lake-Cary area and was just 17 when he enlisted. He was fighting in the battle of the Chosin Reservoir when he was listed as MIA on Dec. 2, 1950. Decades later, his remains were positively identified. He was buried on Aug. 31, 2013, at Windridge Memorial Park in Cary.

MacLean’s is just one story of about 80,000 U.S. servicemen and women listed as suspected prisoners of war or missing in action from previous conflicts, according to the Department of Defense. They are why one group of motorcycle-riding veterans, Rolling Thunder, has donated honorary chairs to communities as reminders of those who haven’t yet come home, said Wayne Kirkpatrick, U.S. Army veteran and retired chairman of Rolling Thunder‘s Illinois Chapter 2.

The group recently donated a Chair of Honor to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Flanked by flags, the empty chair has been installed near the west entrance of the courthouse.

During a ceremony held outside the courthouse, speakers noted the significance of the chair remaining “perpetually empty to help people remember that, even though our soldiers are not here, there is still a space for them,” a sheriff’s press release said, adding the chair “is a symbol of the loss of life and the unfinished stories of those who never returned home.”

“We are deeply honored to receive the POW/MIA Chair of Honor from Rolling Thunder Illinois Chapter 2,” Sheriff Robb Tadelman said. “This powerful symbol serves as a lasting reminder of the brave men and women who have yet to return home. We are grateful for Rolling Thunder‘s dedication to ensuring that their sacrifice is never forgotten.”

Across the country, POW/MIA Chairs of Honor can be found in public spaces, serving as symbols of Rolling Thunder‘s mission and the nation’s promise to “never forget,” the organization said.

Though the numbers are fluid, a recent tally put the number of Illinois MIAs at 5,041: 259 from World War I, 4,285 from World War II, 394 from the Korean War and 103 from Vietnam, Kirkpatrick said.

Rolling Thunder Inc. is a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the many American POWs left behind in previous wars and how to help recover them.