The Empty Chair and the Gratitude That Connects Us
The Empty Chair and the Gratitude That Connects Us
By Scott English, President and CEO, Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Thanksgiving has always carried a special kind of warmth. It is the rare moment when life feels just a little less hurried and a little more centered, when the pull of family, tradition, and memory gently guides us back to what matters most. The table fills, the conversation swells, and for a few precious hours the world seems to pause long enough for us to notice how good it feels to be surrounded by people we love.
And yet, running quietly beneath all that comfort is another story. A story shaped not by fullness, but by absence.
Across every generation, there have been Americans who could not gather around a familiar table on Thanksgiving. Men and women who spent the holiday in uniform, far from home and the easy rhythms of ordinary life. They stood watch while others gave thanks in warm light. They chose to serve when staying home would have been easier, and often safer.
These are the Citizen Soldiers, the very heart of the story we honor at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. They were teachers, mechanics, students, parents, and neighbors who stepped into something larger than themselves. Their Thanksgivings were spent in places most of us will never have to imagine, in moments defined by distance, determination, and sense of responsibility.
At the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, American troops marked Thanksgiving under the shadow of one of the fiercest and most desperate battles of World War II. Cold winds cut through the Ardennes Forest, and tension hung thick in the air as soldiers sought a sense of normalcy in circumstances that allowed none. Some received a rare warm meal. Many relied on rations. Most found small comfort in the personal remnants of home they carried with them.
They were not celebrating, they were enduring, and they made it possible for countless others to celebrate safely and pass along traditions that still shape our lives today.
These sacrifices let us know that Thanksgiving is not only about what we have, but also about what was given so that we could have it. It reminds us that freedom and comfort have never been accidental and that the stories behind them deserve care and respect.
We are stewards of voices that might otherwise fade and of memories that deserve to be shared with honesty and compassion. Every exhibit, every program, every preserved artifact is part of a living promise to honor the Citizen Soldier whose choices shaped the world we now inhabit.
If you are a member, you’ve helped make that promise. It helps keep our mission and our duty to those men and women possible. But during this season of reflection, we invite you to consider how your support can reach even further.
Give Thanks. Give Back.
A Thanksgiving contribution to the Pritzker Military Museum & Library directly strengthens the work that connects past service to present understanding. Your generosity supports the preservation of our collections, expands educational outreach, and ensures that future generations encounter these stories. It helps us continue telling the story of the Citizen Soldier in a way that honors both their sacrifice and humanity.
As you gather with friends and family this Thanksgiving, we encourage you to pause for a moment and think of those who could not be there, then and now. Think of the empty chairs represented across time by those who answered the call and honor their legacy.
Give Thanks. Give Back.
Your gift is not simply a donation. It is an affirmation that these stories matter. It is a quiet act of remembrance with lasting impact.
From all of us at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, thank you for your continued support, your compassion, and your belief in the importance of preserving the Citizen Soldier story. We are grateful for your partnership, your generosity, and the role you play in helping us carry this legacy forward.
May your Thanksgiving be filled with warmth and gratitude for being part of something meaningful to honor those who sacrificed for all of us.
Happy Thanksgiving.