The Missing Man table was placed next to the lobby window after Patricia Parry, the mother of Brian Bill, a Navy SEAL killed on August 6, 2011, close to Kabul, Afghanistan, obtained permission from the Stamford Government Center staff.
Parry, a resident of Stamford, stated, “We do it at our home for all family events, holidays, and Brian’s birthday, The table shows they are not present to eat with you and drink with you, but they are with you.” Many official military events now integrate it, and mess halls frequently feature a missing man table—also known as a fallen comrades table—on display. The effort to return detainees and locate soldiers who went missing in combat during the Vietnam War looks to be where the missing man table got its start.
Source: https://ctexaminer.com/2022/12/25/the-missing-man-table/
