IN CHI, THEY DON’T FORGET
Chichester High School unveils chair to honor all POW/MIAs
UPPER CHICHESTER » The black chair cordoned by a velvet barrier sits in the library of Chichester High School and on its seat, in part, it reads: “You Are Not Forgotten ... We are all thankful. God Bless You. God Bless America.”
“This empty chair will serve as a reminder of all the sacrifices made for our country and the still missing American serviceman who have, for too long, been forgotten by all but their immediate families or close friends,” Chichester senior Matt Dwyer said.
This POW/MIA Honor Chair was ceremoniously unveiled Friday and is dedicated to the 82,000 U.S. soldiers who have been unaccounted for since World War I.
Dwyer, a ROTC scholarship winner at Drexel University where he will study mechanical engineering, comes from a family of service with two Army cousins and a Navy uncle.
He said he was at the American Legion Post 951, where he is a member of the Sons of the American Legion, when he learned about the Honor Chair program last fall.
In November, on Election Day, he approached state Rep. Stephen Barrar, R-160 of Upper Chichester, who is also chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee for his help in securing an Honor Chair for the high school.
“To me, this is just important because a lot of people don’t know about prisoners of war,” Dwyer said. “I believe a lot of people don’t really understand what it means to be in the military.”
Barrar said it was easy for him to answer when Dwyer asked him to help.
Barrar said he told him, “Look, you put it together, I’ll take care of getting the chair and the plaque.”
And, he did – and he explained why.
“The whole purpose of the ceremony, especially putting it in a school, you’re hoping that it will raise awareness for our young people about the cost of freedom,” Barrar said. “This didn’t just happen by accident. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to form this country ... and that’s what we want to make sure people remember.”
That is what the chair is intended to do.
Anthony Contipodero, social studies department chair at Chichester High School, said it’s a visual display meant to spark a learning endeavor.
“What we’re doing is we’re beginning the education process with students and for faculty, for staff about POWs and MIAs and we’re beginning that process today,” he said. “And, we hope to continue the process in the future.”
Contipodero said Dwyer came to him three months ago about how to get the chair in the high school.
“Matt’s not only a pillar for this project but he’s a true representation of the Chichester School District,” the educator said. “He’s just a great kid, we wish him the best of luck in the future.”
Officials at the American Legion Post 951 commended Dwyer as well and said his efforts at obtaining the Honor Chair displayed leadership potential.
“What it means to me is that the youth is taking a part in things and they’ll learn about the past,” Ed Brinkman, the post’s Second Vice Commander, said.
Dwyer himself spoke of what he hoped this chair would mean to the community – in and outside of Chichester High School.
“I know that we have Memorial Day, Veterans Day, but this piece right here is going to be 365 days a year and it’s going to be a remembrance of those who didn’t come back,” he said. “Every day, we’re lucky to come to school, we’re lucky to go to work safely and people in the military pay the price ... or (those missing are) still out there, or never had the chance. So, that’s why I wanted that here.”
Contipodero echoed that sentiment when he read a quote from former President George W. Bush during a 2001 POW/MIA recognition.
“The men and women who suffered through the atrocious conditions of interment deserve our upmost gratitude and respect,” he repeated. “Their fortitude serves as an example of placing the ideals of freedom and self-government above one’s own interest.”
Those at the ceremony Friday said setting aside a memorial chair in their honor was the least that could be done to recognize them.
“We owe it all to them – these men and women who serve us,” Barrar said. “(I) think about 99.5 percent of the people are protected by 0.5 percent. The half percent are the watchdogs, they’re the men and women in the military that safeguard our freedoms and we owe them so much.”