There were rows of empty chairs at the 12th annual Korean War Veterans and POW/MIA Remembrance Day at the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis.

    “The ranks are thinning,” noted Lee Grimes, director of the museum, as he spoke from the podium and observed the several rows of empty chairs. The chairs had been reserved for visiting Prisoners of War and Korean Era veterans at the annual remembrance day. As the years pass, the numbers of surviving veterans diminish.

    On hand were two guest speakers including Major Robert Meyer who served in both WWII and the Korean War, and Donn Moyer, who served as a member of the Armed Forces Radio during the Korean War, both of whom shared memories of their times in service.

    A mother, daughter and granddaughter trio had traveled down from Tacoma for the special service at the museum, a family tradition the three women have been following since the first service was held 12 years ago.

    “It’s an annual event for our family,” said Donna Karrer, as she walked into the museum with her mother and daughter. “We come in remembrance of my dad, John Tracy.”

    Tracy served in both WWII, where he was captured and held as a prisoner, and in Korea, where he volunteered to serve.

    “He was a prisoner of war in the prison camps during WWII for 31 months,” said Ruth Tracy, John’s wife. John passed away in 1997.

    The annual event was a combined event this year, including remembrance of both Korean War era veterans and services honoring those who are still Missing in Action or remain Prisoners of War.

    For guest speaker Robert Meyer, now 85, the memories of his service during WWII are still fresh and poignant.

    Rounded up as a prisoner of war during WWII, Meyer said, is what he now look back on as the “longest period of my life.”

    Wearing his original Korean War era uniform, he shared memories of the moments of his capture.

    “I thought they were going to execute us on the spot,” Meyer said, as the black and white POW/MIA flag stood behind him. Beside him was the lone table with a burning candle and a rose — another symbol to remember those who have been captured and have not yet returned.

    “They made us lie face down in the mud. They say when you face death, your life flashes before your eyes and it did — I reviewed my entire life.” he said.

    Lying in the mud, Meyer said, he was terrified until …

    “The most amazing thing that has ever happened to me, happened. I suddenly could feel within me the presence of a very good friend. A voice in my head said ‘Do not be afraid.’”

    Just as suddenly as he had been terrified, he was filled with calm.

    Then followed days of marching with no food or water and suffering the effects of the cold.

    “We were losing body heat,” he said. “We were scooping snow to eat and losing more body heat to melt the snow. When we would urinate, we could see — out went more body heat. Marching all night is very mind numbing. I spent my time recalling the 23rd psalm,” he said.

    Once they reached a rail line, the American prisoners were loaded onto box cars. At one point, Meyer remembered seeing the Germans unloading other boxcars with Russian prisoners of war.

    “They were unloading the Russian prisoners, and unloading body parts,” he said. “They had been locked up a lot longer than us and had resorted to cannibalism.”

    Now at a camp, Meyer said, they were sometimes fed a “grass soup, with white worms in it. Sometimes they gave us hard German bread. It was made with bread flour mixed with sawdust in it. It was very hard. One guy broke his tooth on it.”

    Then he learned that if he was selected for extra duty elsewhere, he might be fed more food. Soon he found himself and a few others working as virtual slaves. Until at last one glorious day they were freed. The Americans had come.

    “There were 12 of us,” he said. “Six of us found bicycles and one of us found a horse and wagon and we all took off.”

    They traveled for four days following a Russian troop to the Elbe River.

    “Pretty soon we saw over the tops of the trees the American flag — and it was the most beautiful sight!” Meyer laughed, still thrilled after all these years.

    “We had those old bikes pedaling just as fast you could see, and that old horse a galloping and that wagon clattering!”

    The 12 freed Americans made it back to the flag.

    Listening to such stories as Meyer shared, has been healing for many who attended the service.

    For John Tracy’s granddaughter Anna Murray, attending the remembrance day at the museum was a chance to reconnect with her grandfather.

    “I think it’s a nice way to keep in touch with that part of our family history,” she said. “We grew up hearing about the war and now that he’s not here, it’s a nice way to keep in contact with that memory.”

    “They feel they have fought the forgotten war,” said Grimes, of the Korean War veterans in attendance. “Hopefully this will bring healing to their hearts and let them know that we do remember.”

    Victoria Stewart is a freelance writer and photographer. She can be reached at creative01writer@yahoo.com.