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Photo by Nicole Inglis

A single place setting was left empty Saturday night to honor missing soldiers who never returned home. On the plate, the salt symbolizes tears shed, and the lemon symbolizes the sour taste left when a fallen comrade doesn't return home.

One place setting was empty upstairs at the Elks Lodge.

Alone at a small, round table sat a single candle, a rose wrapped in red ribbon, mugs, silverware and a plate expectantly, waiting for its guest.

But none of the spaghetti at the annual veteran's dinner Saturday night at the Elks Lodge touched that plate.

Instead, only a pinch of salt and a lemon served as reminders of the tears shed and the sour taste left when soldiers who go missing in action don't return home.

Frank Sadvar, Elks Lodge secretary, set up the place setting in front of a black Prisoners of War/Missing in Action flag to honor the soldiers who couldn't attend the event.

"These guys don't really get to all get together that often," Sadvar said, looking around the room at the 30 veterans and their families. "I don't think the vets got the recognition they should."

Sadvar was part of the Vietnam War, and worked as a recruiter, so his welcome home wasn't ideal.

"I just want to make up for that," he said "We just can't show them enough appreciation."

Mel Shockley, American Legion Post 62 commander, said support for veterans has improved significantly the past few years.

"The enthusiasm is there," he said. "The support is there. But it's sad because there's a lot of guys who really deserve to be here tonight but aren't with us anymore."

The dinner featured red, white and blue decorated tables and a silent auction for handmade, beaded "Support Our Troops" ribbons. Also on display was an item Elks Lodge treasurer Fonda Crockett came across while perusing yard sales.

It was a large cylindrical cooler, rusted but very clean inside. Jim Meineke said he thought it was a relic from World War I, used to carry blood out to the battlefields for wounded soldiers.

Veterans gathered around the cooler and inspected it with awe. Some thought it might have been from World War II.

But everyone agreed it was time to line up for some spaghetti, meatballs and homemade deserts provided by Elks Lodge members.

The event began about six years ago, when the Elks decided to do something extra for their veterans. They teamed up with Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4265 and American Legion Post 62 to provide a spaghetti dinner they hoped to put on every year.

"It's always spaghetti for some reason," Sadvar said. "I guess it's just easy to make a lot of it."

Funding for events such as this one comes from bingo, held on Fridays downstairs in the Elks Lodge.

"We really wouldn't be here if it wasn't for bingo," Sadvar said.

The event hasn't exactly been annual: One dinner was held six years ago, and the second was held two years ago.

But Sadvar said the group hopes to be more consistent and offer the dinner every year from now on.

"We'll keep it going, there's no doubt about that," he said. "We've got to honor our guys and gals who have done so much for us."

Nicole Inglis can be reached at 875-1793, or ninglis@craigdailypress.com.