By Marilyn May
Milford History
Gold Star memorial at base of the flagpole on the Milford Green. Photo courtesy of Marilyn May.
Thanks to the Milford Garden Club, the newest memorial marker on the Green is dedicated to Gold Star mothers and families whose loved ones died in active-duty military service while defending America.
The wording on the marker is: “Gold Star Memorial By-Way; A tribute to all Gold Star Families; Honor – Hope – Healing; Milford Garden Club, National Garden Clubs, Inc.”
The awarding of the military’s Gold Star has been called the distinction nobody wants but all recipients are proud to wear.
It all started during World War I when women began forming small groups of widows, and by 1928 a national organization was incorporated. The Gold Star project started out as Gold Star Mothers and later became Gold Star Mothers and Families.
On June 23, 1936, a joint congressional resolution designated the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mother’s Day, and it is proclaimed annually by each president.
President Barack Obama amended the day in 2011 to “Gold Star Mother’s and Family Day” to include all relatives of the fallen and recognize families as a vital part of the country’s military community.
This year’s observance is Sept. 25. It is a tradition that during official gatherings members wear white in remembrance of their loved ones’ goodness, innocence and sacrifice. It’s also a day when all Americans are encouraged to fly the American flag.
The gold star reference comes from small banners called service flags that were first seen during World War I. It included a blue star for every immediate family member in the armed forces during any period of war or hostilities. If that loved one died, the blue star was replaced or covered by a gold star. This allowed the community to know the price that the family had paid in the cause of freedom. The service flags were indoor symbols that were hung in front windows.
If a loved one was injured in battle, a gold cross was placed on the blue star. A red star signaled a person had been captured or was missing, and a white star denoted a suicide while serving.
Service flags became especially popular during World War II, with the gold star as the most poignant symbol. Although the use of the service flag waned in post-World War II years, it regained some of its popularity after 9/11 and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Today’s Gold Star families continue to offer each other support, and their motto is “Honor, Hope and Healing.” They endeavor to provide an atmosphere of emotional and psychological aid to those whose lives have been so sadly changed forever.
The Milford Garden Club wanted to honor the Gold Star program, so they worked with the National Garden Clubs, Gold Star Families and the state to make this project a success. It honors both the fallen and their families.
The local club started the project a year ago, in September 2021. The marker was ordered in November and was delivered to Linda Natoli at Milford Monument for safekeeping. Natoli ordered the granite for the base and also stored that until the dedication ceremony on May 29 of this year.
After expenses were paid, $1,000 remained. That will be used to award a scholarship to a student in a Gold Star family.
Every December, the Gold Star organization of more than 470,000 families partners with “Wreaths Across America” in helping raise money to put wreaths on soldiers’ graves.
The women of the Milford Garden Clun who made the memorial on the Green possible are Bunny Elmore and Marika Mosley, Gold Star Committee co-chairs and Cheryl Cappiali, Gold Star Committee treasurer. Other members of the committee included Patti Kellam, Patty Primavera, and Margot Sahlmann.
There are still Gold Star families from World War I and many thousands from World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. To date, US Central Command confirms that 7,015 US service members and more than 8,000 contractors have died in the post-9/11 wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Names can be added to the online list at the Department of Defense.
Marilyn May is a lifelong resident of Milford and is on the board of the Milford Historical Society.