Gold Star Mothers and Family Day falls on Sept. 29 this year and is traditionally observed on the last Sunday in September. This day is for honoring families of those who have received The Gold Star – the military award no one wants. The award commemorates the tragic death of a military member who has perished while in the line of duty and hopes to provide a level of comfort to the parents and families that are left behind.
Though the exact roots of the tradition are not totally known, it was during World War I that the gold star came to symbolize that a family member had fallen in battle. Around that time, the term “Gold Star Family” came to mean that you were a surviving family of a person who died in service, and families hung banners with a gold star outside their homes. The tradition has since been authorized and seeks to ease the grief of mothers and families while remembering that no one truly serves alone.
Honoring our fallen. Together. Uniting us in a meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our Gold Star Veterans, we heal our nation together, it is a team effort. Everyone is invited to join as a Citizen Historian and Guardian of Honor. For more information go to HonorStates.org.
On this site you can also find a list of Vietnam veterans by state.
Vietnam Was: Archive of American Gold Star Veterans. During the involvement of the United States spanning the war years 1961-1975, there were 58,209 recorded deaths among the U.S. service members. That was about 0.03% of the population at the time with an average of 11 fatal casualties each day.
The Vietnam Wall That Heals will be in Covington, Virginia, Oct. 3-6, giving us an extra special way to honor all of these families and all the veterans WHO PAID ALL.
