ATHENS, Ohio — One seat at Peden Stadium will never be filled, and that is exactly the point. Ohio University unveiled a POW/MIA Chair of Honor at the stadium during the pregame show on Saturday, October 24, a permanent tribute to American service members who were prisoners of war or remain missing in action.
The unveiling came as part of Ohio’s Military Appreciation Game against Eastern Michigan, with Ohio ROTC serving as the community partner for a day set aside to recognize the military community and those who have served the country.
The initiative brings together Ohio Athletics, the university’s Veterans and Military Student Services, and Albany Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9893, which donated the chairs. A matching Chair of Honor is also planned for the Convocation Center, with additional installation details to be shared as that project progresses.
At Peden Stadium, the chair sits near the Army ROTC Red Leg Brigade cannon emplacement, in view of every fan who walks the concourse on game day.
“Ohio University is a proud veteran community, and it’s an honor for Bobcat Athletics to partner with the Veterans and Military Student Services Center on this project,” said Ohio Director of Athletics Slade Larscheid. “The Chair of Honor is a meaningful tribute to prisoners of war and those missing in action, serving as a visible reminder of their sacrifice within historic Peden Stadium.”
“The POW/MIA Chair of Honor serves as a powerful reminder that we must never forget the men and women who have served our country,” said Lt. Col. (Ret.) Terry St. Peter, director of Veterans and Military Student Services at Ohio University. “By placing these chairs at Ohio University, we are creating a lasting tribute to their sacrifice and a visible reminder of our responsibility to remember them and their families.”
Veterans were welcomed into the tribute as guests as well as honorees: veterans in the Athens and Albany areas who belong to local veterans organizations could receive complimentary tickets through those organizations, and veterans and currently serving military members could claim a complimentary game-day ticket at the Peden Stadium box office by showing a valid veteran or military ID.
The empty chair will now be part of every Bobcats home game — a quiet, permanent promise in the middle of the noise that Ohio’s missing and imprisoned service members are not forgotten.