Gold Star Mother's Day

Today is Gold Star Mother's Day.

Gold Star Mothers are those who have lost a son or daughter while in service to their country while as a member of the United States armed forces.

The origin of the Gold Stare Mother's organization dates back to the first world war and a lady by the name of Grace Darling Seibold. Her son George , volunteered, requesting assignment in aviation. He was sent to Canada where he trained to fly British planes, since the United States had neither an air force nor planes. He was deployed to England, and assigned to British Royal Flying Corps 148th Aero Squadron. George did his best to keep up correspondence with his family while engaged in combat over France, but one day the letters stopped. On October 11, 1918, George's wife in Chicago received a box marked "Effects of deceased Officer 1st Lt. George Vaughn Seibold".

George's body was never identified.

Grace Seibold, realizing that self-contained grief is self-destructive, devoted her time and efforts to not only volunteer in military hospitals, but to extend a hand of friendship to other mothers whose sons had lost their lives in military service.

Grace organized a group consisting solely of these special mothers, with the purpose of not only comforting each other, but to giving loving care to hospitalized veterans confined to government hospitals far from home.

The organization was named after the gold star that families hung in their windows in honor of the deceased veteran.

A proclamation by the President of the United States was approved by congress on June 23, 1936, designating the last Sunday in September as "Gold Star Mother's Day".

I remember and am thankful for our fallen comrades every single day, but to day is the day to honor the Mothers of all the fallen. I pray is that their ranks do not have to swell, but bear in mind, as a nation still at war, our sons and daughters are today and every day in harms way. God Bless Them All!

Old Captain sends