Kenosha County Center hosts POW/MIA remembrance with local veterans and personal testimony
September 19, 2026 | Kenosha County, Wisconsin
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The Kenosha County Center hosted a POW/MIA Remembrance ceremony on Sept. 18 with local veterans, public remarks and a first-person account from a Gulf War-era former prisoner of war.
Moderator opened the program, led logistical notes for the ceremony and introduced speakers. Robert Swanson, introduced in the program as a "commercial economy VSO," urged the audience to honor those who never returned and said the POW/MIA flag and empty chair serve as a lasting reminder: "You are not forgotten." Sean Rivers, the Racine County veteran service officer, described efforts to place POW/MIA honor chairs around Southeast Wisconsin. A Gulf War-era former prisoner of war spoke about capture and release after 130 days in captivity.
Why it matters: organizers and speakers framed the event as both a local moment of remembrance and a public reminder of families still waiting for answers about missing service members. The ceremony mixed symbolic gestures (colors, pledge, national anthem) with concrete local history about memorial placements and a veteran's testimony about captivity and recovery.
"You are not forgotten," Robert Swanson said, summing up the ceremony's message. The event closed with thanks to singer Cheryl McCrary and a call from the moderator to reflect at any empty chair on display.
The ceremony included regional context about where 'empty chair' memorials have been placed and personal testimony that tied the symbolism to lasting family impacts.
Moderator opened the program, led logistical notes for the ceremony and introduced speakers. Robert Swanson, introduced in the program as a "commercial economy VSO," urged the audience to honor those who never returned and said the POW/MIA flag and empty chair serve as a lasting reminder: "You are not forgotten." Sean Rivers, the Racine County veteran service officer, described efforts to place POW/MIA honor chairs around Southeast Wisconsin. A Gulf War-era former prisoner of war spoke about capture and release after 130 days in captivity.
Why it matters: organizers and speakers framed the event as both a local moment of remembrance and a public reminder of families still waiting for answers about missing service members. The ceremony mixed symbolic gestures (colors, pledge, national anthem) with concrete local history about memorial placements and a veteran's testimony about captivity and recovery.
"You are not forgotten," Robert Swanson said, summing up the ceremony's message. The event closed with thanks to singer Cheryl McCrary and a call from the moderator to reflect at any empty chair on display.
The ceremony included regional context about where 'empty chair' memorials have been placed and personal testimony that tied the symbolism to lasting family impacts.
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