GOLD STAR MOTHER’S DAY – SEPT. 29, 2013

Ever heard of Gold Star Mothers? Who are they?

Gold Star Mothers are mothers whose sons or daughters served and died while serving their country in times of war. Each year on Gold Star Mother’s Day which is Sept. 29 this year, the President calls on all Americans to display the U.S. flag to express their love and support to the Gold Star Mothers and their families. Gold Star Mother’s Day is observed on the last Sunday of September to recognize and honor the mothers who have lost a son or daughter while serving the United States Armed Forces. Gold Star Mother’s Day is not a designated public holiday in the United States.

A gold star symbolizes a family member who died in the line of duty while serving the United States Armed Forces while the blue star symbolizes a family member presently serving in the armed forces. During WWII, you could see which mother had lost a son or daughter. They had a gold star flag on their front window. My husband told me his mother got a flag with two blue stars because both he and his brother were serving during WWII. The gold star can be in the form of a pin worn by Gold Star mothers which was awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense. The name Gold Star Mothers was derived from the custom of military families who put a service flag near their front window. The flag featured a star for each family member serving their country.

In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson approved the wearing of black armbands bearing a gilt star by those who had a family member who died in the military service to the United States. The American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., an organization of mothers whose sons or daughters served and died while serving their country in times of conflict was incorporated in 1929, obtaining a federal charter from the United States Congress. It started with 25 mothers living in the Washington DC area and soon grew to affiliated groups throughout the country. On June 23, 1936, a joint congressional resolution designated the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mother’s Day, a holiday that has been observed each year by a presidential proclamation.

In honor of the Gold Star Mothers, I am giving a FREE download on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 of my book “BAHALA NA (Come What May)”, a WWII story at Kindle Lending Library. Please leave a review at http://www.amazon.com/author/rosalindarmorgan after you finish reading the book. Thank you.