We couldn’t help but feel the emptiness as we looked around the room at spouses dressed in golden shades of yellow, embracing each other like family. There was a huge void in the capitol rotunda as the Gold Star Wives of America gathered together to celebrate the 65th anniversary of their organization May 27.
The emptiness was the space next to each of them where a spouse should have stood.
But at the same time – through that emptiness – we saw honor. We saw loyalty. We saw the utmost form of patriotism and sacrifice for our great nation. And most importantly, we saw love.
As America took time on Memorial Day to remember those who fell in battle, we thought how Gold Star spouses live with that loss 365 days a year, marked by memories in one way or another. It may come in the form of an empty seat at a dinner table; a folded flag above a mantle; an empty spot on the other side of the bed; a pain no one should ever have to bear.
Gold Star spouses know this feeling all too well – but they understand why it’s important to never forget the legacy, the patriotism and the honor of their fallen loved one.
The Gold Star Wives of America come together – with smiles, with hugs, with friendship. They help widows and widowers get back on their feet and learn to enjoy this precious life their spouse fought so bravely to defend.
They provide a support network for one another. They encourage one another. They speak up for one another and let their voices be heard, to ensure military widows and widowers get the benefits and entitlements they deserve.
As Deborah Mullen, wife of Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in May to the Gold Star Wives, “We believe that none of us does this alone,” she said. “It has to be one large team of people working in concert to take care of the families who have lost people, to the families who have wounded members, to those who come back with the unseen and the seen wounds of war…. We will never forget your service, but most importantly, we’ll never forget the heart you have, the caring heart, for those people like you who have lost a loved one.”
Are you a Gold Star spouse, or do you know someone who has lost a loved one in the military? How do you remember that person’s honor and sacrifice for America? What are some of the best types of support you have received, or what support would you recommend to others who may be facing a similar situation? Please share your comments with the Army blog community.
Submitted by: Jacqueline Leeker and Tracy Robillard, Public Affairs Specialist, Online and Social Media Division
Gold Star Wives Of America, Inc. is an organization of military widows and widowers whose spouse died while on active duty or from service connected disabilities. With 10,000 members and 60 chapters across the country, Gold Star Wives has served widows and widowers from all conflicts and all branches of service since it was founded in 1945. Read more at http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/06/01/40155-gold-star-wives-celebrate-65-years-of-service/
Gold Star Wives came from all over the country to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the organization at the U.S. Capitol May 27. The spouses wore gold-colored clothing, decorated with Gold Star Wives hats and logos – representing the sacrifice made by their family. Others wore necklaces and pins bearing photographs of their fallen warriors. Photo by Jacqueline Leeker.
