POW/MIA Chair of Honor installed at McHenry County courthouse, ‘lasting reminder’ of missing service members

In 2013, 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 being listed as missing in action.

MacLean was from the Crystal Lake-Cary area and just 17 when he enlisted. He was fighting in the battle of the Chosin Reservoir when listed MIA on Dec. 2, 1950. His status was changed to presumed dead on Dec. 31, 1953. Decades later, his remains were positively identified, and on Aug. 31, 2013, he was buried at Windridge Memorial Park in Cary, according to his obituary in the Northwest Herald.

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 conflict, according to the Department of Defense. They are the reason why one group of motorcycle-riding veterans, Rolling Thunder, donate honorary chairs to communities across the country as daily 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 news 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. His chapter has assisted in returning 25 MIAs home in the northern Illinois area, including MacLean, Kirkpatrick said.

Until 2012, when MacLean’s sister June, who has since died, wrote the U.S. Army and provided a DNA sample, he was “unidentifiable.” His remains were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, according to information from Rolling Thunder.

MacLean’s remains were exhumed and DNA testing revealed his identity. More than 100 people attended MacLean’s funeral where he was buried with full military honors and family members present.

“Despite decades of time, the ceremony brought a sense of closure to the family, comfort to his friends, warmth to his fellow Americans, and pride to his Veteran brothers and sisters,” according to information from Rolling Thunder. MacLean was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and several other medals, according to the obituary.

Kirkpatrick said he and members from Rolling Thunder were among those who accompanied MacLean’s processional. He recalled as they drove past a middle school and children stood outside as they passed. It was “very touching,” he said.

“The MIA story is much larger than our little area and, when we look at the 80,000 missing servicemen and women, and multiply that by 7+ generations, the number of families affected becomes very large,” 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. Illinois’ Chapter 2 meets monthly at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday at Wauconda American Legion Post 911, 515 S. Main St. General membership meetings are open to the public. More information is at rollingthunderil2.org.