Every year on the last Sunday in September, the nation honors the mothers of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Many Americans recognize Memorial Day as the day to honor fallen service members, but our nation also recognizes the mothers of sons and daughters who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces on Gold Star Mother’s Day. This year, Gold Star Mother’s Day will be observed on September 26th.
At IHG® Army Hotels we want to not only honor the memory of the fallen, but also honor and recognize Gold Star Mothers and Families.
What Does the Gold Star Mean?
The history of the Gold Star goes back to WWI. American family members began to display banners at their houses with a blue star, indicating they had family members in the service. Families would change the color of the star from blue to gold if their service member died while serving.
From this point on, family members were referred to as “Gold Star Families” or “Gold Star Mothers,” based on their relationship to the service member who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. No mothers want this honor, but many wear it with pride.
The day is meant to be an acknowledgement of the loss of the son or daughter and a pledge of continued support to the family. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, since WWII over 560,000 Americans have lost their lives while serving our nation. This means there are many living Gold Star Mothers and Families in our country today.
You may see direct family members wearing the Gold Star Pin. This pin is a star on a purple background, indicating an immediate family member lost their loved one in combat. Over the past several decades there are many families that lost loved ones while serving in WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Shield/Desert Storm and other conflicts. More recently, the Global War on Terror has taken many service member’s lives and left many Gold Star Mothers.
Many Gold Star Mothers and family members honor this day differently and there are many different family traditions to honor fallen heroes. Some take trips to visit their son or daughter’s grave or favorite place, while others gather as a family and have a meal as a celebration of their life and sacrifice.
Ways to Make a Difference
With so many Gold Star families living among us, one of the biggest ways to make a difference is educating others on what it means to be a Gold Star Mother or Family! Here are some additional ways to make a difference.
FIND A HERO
One way to honor the fallen heroes' memory and family is by reading their stories and remembering them. You can visit a war memorial in your area or support a local Gold Star Mother by paying your respects to their son or daughter. Genuine support goes a long way!
SHOW PATRIOTISM
Another way to support the mothers of the fallen is to show pride for America. Their son or daughter sacrificed their life so that we can continue to enjoy the unique freedoms of our nation. Flying the American flag, getting involved in organizations that support veterans, or even donating are opportunities to show your patriotism.
There are many organizations that support Gold Star Mothers and families throughout the country. This is by far not an all-inclusive list, but it does give you several organizations that honor the sacrifice of our veterans and their families. Donating your time and talents to local reputable organizations helping veterans is a great way to make a difference.
AMERICAN GOLD STAR MOTHERS, INC.
The most recognizable group when it comes to Gold Star Mother’s Day is the organization dedicated solely to Gold Star mothers. This group, located in Washington D.C., was originally established in 1928. A group of grieving mothers came together to dedicate themselves to keeping the memories of their lost service members alive while serving the greater military community as a whole. Since the founding of American Gold Star Mothers, the U.S. has become involved in other global conflicts and as a result the organization is constantly growing, and today there are over 1,000 active members.
The mission of the organization is finding strength in the fellowship of other Gold Star Mothers who strive to keep the memory of sons and daughters alive by working to help veterans, those currently serving in the military, their families and communities.
Today, many mothers join the organization as a way to find support from others who can relate to their experience. The organization actively volunteers across the country, visiting veterans and service members at hospitals and doing everything they can to support veterans. The current American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. president explains that, “The idea is that we serve and we continue our fallen children’s service, because they can’t. We find grief support from service. We turn that sorrow into service.” One of the group’s famous charity events organizes Wreaths Across America during the holidays to honor fallen service members.
Each year during Gold Star Mother’s Day Weekend, the American Gold Star Mothers gather in Washington, D.C. to honor and remember fallen heroes. The group raises awareness for military suicide with their 2.2 mile Military Suicide Awareness Walk. This year you can participate in the Facebook LIVE dedication event or walk in-person or virtually.
You can also find a local American Gold Star Mothers chapter near you or donate to help the organization.
SUPPORT THE USO
The United Service Organizations (USO) maintains many different programs to support the families of fallen members of the military. One of the programs is called Support for Families of the Fallen. Since 1991, the USO has supported every repatriated fallen service member arriving from overseas through Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. This includes supporting the many needs of families of the fallen and their travel to and from Dover on a 24/7 basis. The USO is always there for Gold Star Mothers and other family members of the fallen.
There are many ways to get involved with the USO. Aside from financial donations, you can sign up as a volunteer at a USO Center, help at a special event, and greet service members at homecomings to name a few. All opportunities focus on keeping America’s service members connected to family throughout their service.
Stories of Gold Star Mothers
THE FIRST GOLD STAR MOTHER
Perhaps the most famous Gold Star Mother is the woman who united the first group of Gold Star mothers together and founded American Gold Star Mothers, Grace Darling Seibold. Her son George joined the 148th Aero Squadron, an American unit under British Royal Air Force command in 1918 during WWI. While George was serving Grace became heavily involved in the state-side volunteer effort back home. She visited wounded troops in the hospital and helped to found American War Mothers.
Around the fall of 1918, Grace stopped receiving weekly letters from her son. She began visiting many different hospitals looking for her son as thousands of wounded service members returned home without identification. Although the War Department declared George dead that fall, Grace kept looking for him well in 1919. Through her outreach to other grieving mothers, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. was created. Grace’s experience shows us that people grieve in different ways, and having a supporting community can make a huge difference to move through the stages of grief towards acceptance.
Gold Star Mothers Today
Mothers all over the country have a story to tell if we ask and honor them. Some mothers get the gift of time with their sons or daughters while others lose their children instantly in combat. The mother of Chief Warrant Officer Chadrick Demond George, Janet George was gifted with time with her son before his combat-related disability took his life. Chief Warrant Officer George served in Afghanistan with an engineer unit and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Memorials across the country honor our fallen heroes by hosting services to remember the sacrifices made for our nation. These events can be very emotional but also healing for families, as many come together to support each other. Janet George finds these services to be a place for reflection on her son’s life and service. She describes her experience, “As a Gold Star Mother, nobody wants to hear it. They don’t want to hear about your sacrifice.” This Gold Star Mother’s Day, we have the opportunity to honor Janet’s sacrifice, and the thousands of other mothers’ sacrifices across the country.
On September 26th, take a moment to remember the sacrifices of our nation’s military members and honor their surviving mothers and families.