Gold Star Mothers The Sheehan family lost their beloved son Casey in the Iraq War and have been grieving since. Casey’s mother, Cindy Sheehan, is going about her grief in a most unusual way; a way that is unlikely to bring her the comfort and closure that she is seeking. However, she deserves the respect and gratitude of the nation. Many, many parents have grieved just as she is now doing. It has been the great cost of freedom, which is so difficult for many to understand. Cindy Sheehan is what is known as a “Gold Star Mother“. It is an honor that no mother wants to receive, yet there is comfort to be found for those seeking answers. My prayer for the Sheehan family is that they will find peace and reward in efforts to keep alive the memory of their son’s sacrifice to his nation. All Americans need to be reminded of the great price that many pay for our liberty. We need to remember it for every day of our lives for as long as we live free. We need to honor the fallen and hold their service to us in our hearts and minds forever. They sacrificed to made the world a better place, to help people of all nations escape slavery and tyranny. They were sent on a mission, and they have returned to their heavenly home with honor for having served so selflessly. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Gold Star Mothers
By Rudi Williams, American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2000 — “I think before we send young men and women anywhere to fight, we’d better be ready to take care of them when they come home,” Mary Wheeler said. “I don’t mean just token appreciation. I mean take care of them.”

With tear-glazed eyes, Wheeler said sadly that she sometimes sits and wonders where America would be today if young men and women had refused to fight “when we were first starting our country.”

“Where would we be? What would we be doing?” asked Wheeler, president of American Gold Star Mothers Inc. She still grieves over the loss of her son in Vietnam more than 32 years ago. She’s devoted the past 31 years of her life thanking veterans and service members for their sacrifices — and invoking other Americans to do the same.

Members of Wheeler’s group are mothers whose son or daughter died on active duty. Gold Star Mothers got their name from a practice that began during World War I of families hanging flags emblazoned with a dark blue star for each living member in the service and a gold one for each who had died. Mothers whose children are listed as missing can also join the organization. “By helping others, I helped myself,” she said. “All veterans are my boys and girls. It’s what we imagine our son or daughter might be doing, or what their life would be like if they were here now. The main thrust of our organization is to help our veterans and mothers whose sons or daughters didn’t come home.”
Doc’s Gold Star Mothers Page

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