RAINELLE- Community members, veterans and military personnel gathered in Rainelle for a solemn ceremony at the Gold Star wall, honoring the men and women who gave their lives while serving the United States.
Located at Veterans Memorial Park, the Gold Star wall serves as a permanent place of remembrance for fallen service members and the families who continue to carry their memories. The ceremony provided those in attendance with an opportunity to reflect on the courage, service and sacrifice represented by the memorial.
Gold Star families are the immediate family members of service members who died while serving their country. For those families, memorials such as the one in Rainelle offer a place where their loved ones’ names, stories, and sacrifices can be remembered by the community for generations to come.
Members of the 811th Ordnance Company attended the ceremony to honor the fallen and demonstrate their support for Gold Star families. Those in attendance included Company Commander 1LT Dixon and Company First Sergeant 1SG Hill. Other members of the company present were SFC Kincaid, SGT Phillips, SGT Hodge, SFC Sweeney, SPC Joyce, SGT Dickerson, SGT Vanleeuwen, SPC Allen and SSG Cooke.
The presence of currently serving military members added special significance to the ceremony. Their participation served as a reminder of the lasting connection among active service members, veterans, fallen heroes, and the families who have sacrificed alongside them.
The ceremony also featured special performances by J.W. Puckett and April Vestal. Their heartfelt selections were presented in honor of the fallen and brought a moving, reflective element to the gathering. As those in attendance stood before the Gold Star wall, the ceremony emphasized that every name represents more than a military record. Each represents a son or daughter, a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a friend, and a life forever remembered by those left behind.
Rainelle has a long tradition of supporting veterans and military families. The town welcomes Run for the Wall riders during the annual West Virginia Veterans Reunion and hosts the Mountaineer Veterans Garden of Honor, where thousands of American flags are displayed in remembrance of West Virginians who died in service to the nation.
The Gold Star wall remains another important part of that tradition. It provides the community with a place to gather, mourn, reflect, and teach future generations about the true cost of freedom. The ceremony concluded with a shared message of remembrance: the fallen will not be forgotten, their service will always matter, and their families will never stand alone.
Story submitted by: Brittany Mandeville
