Celebrating Gold Star Mother’s Day
September 20, 2017
No one understands the true price of freedom made by our military heroes more than our Gold Star Mothers. Each year, the last Sunday in September is Gold Star Mother’s Day, a day set aside to recognize their grief, sacrifices, and strengths.
What is a Gold Star Mother/Family?
Gold Star Mothers are Mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country. A Gold Star Family is one who has lost a family member in the service of our country.
Where the Gold Star comes from
During World War I, families with loved ones who were currently serving hung “service flags” with a blue star for every immediate family member who was currently serving. If that loved one died, the blue star was replaced by a gold star. This allowed members of the community to know the price that the family had paid in the cause of freedom.
How Gold Star Mother’s Day got started
Starting in 1936, the United States began observing Gold Star Mother’s Day on the last Sunday of September. At the end of World War II, Gold Star Wives was formed. Today, the tradition extends to all family members. This is a day we recognize the pain, grief and sacrifice mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters must endure when a loved one dies in service to our nation.
Our military families serve this country alongside our military heroes. They provide support while their loved ones are away, they raise families in the absence of their partners, and they pick up the pieces when their loved one is killed or injured in the line of duty.
