Patriots Unveil Permanently Empty Seat in Honor of MIA/POW Soldiers (Photo)

by Jimmy Kelley on Fri, Nov 9, 2012 at 11:01AM

The Patriots aren’t just a football team, they’re a franchise that recognizes who the real Patriots are and they have never been shy about showing their appreciation.

The team took that appreciation a step further on Friday when they unveiled a seat on the south end of Gillette Stadium that will be permanently left empty in honor of the many soldiers who are either Prisoners of War or Missing In Action. The seat, which is in the back row next to the concourse, is chained off and is adorned with the POW/MIA flag and an American flag.

Owner Robert Kraft was in attendance for the ceremony and was joined by 50 members of the Rolling Thunder who entered the stadium on motorcycles. The unveiling of this seat comes in advance of Veterans Day which coincides with the Patriots game against the Bills.

Check out the picture in the tweet below.

.@GilletteStadium unveils seat to be left empty in honor of the many soldiers who are POW/MIA: http://t.co/iyMGGfx3
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New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 09, 2012