WIESBADEN, Germany - rig. Gen. Markus Laubenthal, U.S. Army Europe chief of staff, hosted a Memorial Day retreat ceremony in front of the Keyes Building on Clay Kaserne May 26.
Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the military. In observance, many people visit cemeteries and memorials, and volunteers often place American flags on grave sites at national cemeteries.
In addition to Army Europe and U.S. Army Garrison-Wiesbaden leaders, Soldiers, civilians and family members, several Gold Star families attended the ceremony.
The term Gold Star family is a modern reference that comes from the Service Flag. These flags/banners were first flown by families during World War I. The flag included a blue star for every immediate family member serving in the armed forces of the United States, during any period of war or hostilities in which the armed forces of the United States were engaged. If that loved one died, the blue star was replaced by a gold star. This allowed members of the community to know the price that the family had paid in the cause of freedom.
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