Recently I have noticed a trend or a series of special days being designated on social media. To be honest, I wonder if some of them are real or made up, and I wonder where some of these “days” came from…
A day and distinction that is real and recognized on the last Sunday of September is Gold Star Mother’s Day.
How did this day come to be and why should we recognize it?
When an active duty service member dies, his or her mother automatically becomes a Gold Star Mother. This is not a distinction that any mother wants, but I believe it is one they wear proudly.
This tradition of the Gold Star began during World War II. A blue start was used on service flags and hung in homes and businesses to represent each living active-duty member in the early days of war.
Once men were being killed in combat, the gold star was superimposed on the blue star to honor the person for their ultimate sacrifice to our country.
Mothers of those fallen service members became known as Gold Star Mothers and their families Gold Star Families.
What I did not realize is that there is a service organization for these mothers, because they need support and need to know they are not alone. The American Gold Star Mothers was started in 1928. One woman, Grace Darling Seibold, spent years searching for her son by working in veterans hospitals. She hoped to find him, but instead she found other women who were wondering the same thing, “where is my child?”
Once Seibold learned of her son’s death, she organized a group of mothers so they could comfort one another and care for those veterans who were in hospitals far from home.
I don’t know about you, but I had chills just reading that and thinking about all of that. The amount of love and courage it takes to search desperately for your child, only to find out that he (or she) is gone.
You can read more about Seibold here:
https://www.goldstarmoms.com/grace-darling-seibold.html
These Gold Star Mothers want others to know that there is hope and love in the difficult days of remembering and mourning a child lost in battle. They raise funds for veterans, active-duty service members and their families, and Gold Star Families.
They are active year round.
One mother, Sue Pollard, writes, “We want to honor all vets who fought and died for this great country. We want to give back, because this is what our children did–they gave. This is to keep their memories alive.”
Any Gold Star Mother interested in joining the organization can get information here from the AGSM link: https://www.goldstarmoms.com/
Gold Star Wives, you are not forgotten. https://www.goldstarwives.org/
