Gold Star Mothers to be Honored on September 28th

September 19, 2014

 

Gold Star Mothers to be Honored on Sept. 28

West Point Garrison Commander to Attend

 

Putnam County Joint Veterans Council, the Veterans Service Agency, County Executive MaryEllen Odell and the County Legislature invite the public to attend Gold Star Mothers’ Day starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Veterans Memorial Park off Gipsy Trail Road in Kent. 

 

Special guests from West Point will be in attendance for the ceremony including the West Point Garrison Commander Col. Dane D. Rideout and his Deputy Wilfred Plumley Jr., as well as Raul Lopez, the program manager for West Point Army Survivor Outreach Services, a support organization for Gold Star Families.

 

Gold Star Mothers was loosely organized in 1925 by Grace Darling Siebold of Washington, D.C., who lost her son, George, during World War I.  Following his death, Siebold devoted her time and efforts to not only visiting hospitals where returning veterans were recovering but also to extending the hand of friendship to other mothers who lost their sons during the war. She named the organization

for the Gold Star that families of deceased veterans hung in their windows.

 

Then, on June 4, 1928, 24 of these special mothers met Siebold in Washington, DC to establish the national organization American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., a nondenominational, non-profitable and nonpolitical organization.

 

On January 5, 1929, the organization was incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia. The Charter was kept open for 90 days during which membership escalated to 65. Today, there are approximately 1,000 Gold Star Mothers across the nation.

 

“Since their very beginning, these remarkable Gold Star Mothers have reached out to women who lost a child while in service to their country. They have dedicated their lives to visiting and caring for all veterans, especially those hospitalized,” said Odell.

 

Just as when it was founded, Gold Star Mothers continue to provide emotional support to its members, do volunteer work with veterans and in veterans’ hospitals, and generally foster a sense of patriotism and respect for all members of the Armed Forces.