The United States began observing Gold Star Mother’s Day on the last Sunday of September, in 1936, recognizing the mothers of military personnel who died in war.
VFW Auxiliary Post 8798 continued that tradition with a Gold Star Ceremony held on Saturday, Sept. 28.
“Welcome to our Gold Star families,” said Master of Cer-emonies Cheryl Campbell. “We don’t want you to leave with grief in your hearts, but with renewed faith that your family’s loss will forever be remembered.”
The meeting hall was filled with families whose children, grandchildren, spouses, and other family members who died during combat or who died when they came home and could not cope with the psychological stress brought about by combat.
Guest speakers were District 8 State Sen. Roger Thompson and Joseph Silk, representing District 2 Congressman Josh Brecheen.
“It has only been three Christmases ago that (my wife) Pam and I laid to rest my nephew who simply, when he got back, it was too much for him to handle,” Thompson said. “(This country) is losing 20 to 25 a day to suicide.”
He thanked the Gold Star families for their sacrifice.
“Gold Star families remember every day the cost of freedom,” he said.
Silk commented that he once read in an Army publication the profound importance of Gold Star families.
“The strength of our nation is in our armed forces; the strength of our armed forces is our service men and women; the strength of our service men and women is our families,” he said. “No one has given more for the nation than the members of the fallen and their family members.”
He noted that President Ronald Reagan, at his Jan. 6, 1968, inauguration address, stated that, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, protected, handed down for them to do the same or one day we will spend our sunset days telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like to be the United States where we were free.”
Silk said, “All you family members have played a massive role in protecting that freedom.”
