The Empty Chair at the Table

Around the Wisecrack table every Wednesday morning, the coffee is lukewarm, the smell of burnt bacon is a tactical requirement, and the stories are guaranteed to get 20% less accurate every single week.

We gather because laughing together is the only thing the military issued us that actually works as advertised—mostly because the VA hasn't found a way to deny the claim yet. But if you’ve been sitting with us long enough, you know Chairman’s Rule #2:

"If there’s an empty chair, it’s not empty—it’s waiting."

On a normal Wednesday, that chair is just waiting for someone to return from a "reconnaissance mission" to the restroom. But on Memorial Day, the vacancy carries a different weight. We look at that chair and remember that while we made it back to complain about the biscuits, many of our brothers and sisters never reached this side of the table at all.

The Cost of the Seat

This month we observe Memorial Day. It isn't about the three-day weekend; it’s about the ones whose Final Extraction happened in the heat of battle. We remember heroes like:

1st Lt. Travis Manion & Lt. Brendan Looney: Best friends in life, now resting side-by-side at Arlington.

1st Lt. Thad Dodds: Who gave his life taking Okinawa in 1945.

Cpt. Akos Dezso Szekely: A "hero and a big loss," KIA in Vietnam in 1968.

1st Lt. Edward J. DeLuca: Who gave his life liberating Guam in 1944.

SP4 Michael H. Flood: The "Doc" who gave everything in 1969 while providing aid to a fallen soldier.

These are the ones who didn’t get to grow old, complain about their knees sounding like bubble wrap, or tell the same story for the tenth time just to make sure we heard it right.

The Legends Who Sat With Us

We also remember the legends who did get to occupy those chairs, making sure their spots are never truly empty even though they've checked into their final duty station.

Colonel Alfred William “Wild Bill” Eustes Jr.

Our "Chairman" and an Air Force Chaplain. He showed up for breakfast with oxygen in tow, refusing to let the "enemy" take his spot.

“Canteen” Bob Hicketheir

A Marine whose notoriously crooked parking job serves as a permanent reminder to check in on your people.

Robert ‘Bob’ Putnam

Our patriarch, who executed his Final Extraction recently at the incredible age of 107. A Navy Veteran of WWII, Bob was our song leader. He famously led us in "God Bless America," always finishing with a heartfelt "Amen." He showed us how to finish the mission with grace, a song, and a reminder that no one should ever disappear quietly.

The Mission

So, this Memorial Day, when the table gets loud and the jokes get blue, take a second. Look at the empty chair.

We get to gather because of who didn’t get to be here. We may crack wise… but we remember seriously.