BAY CITY, Mich. -- On September 30, 2017, an unveiling ceremony was held for Michigan's first Gold Star Families Memorial Monument at Battery Park in Bay City.
TACOM Commanding General Maj. Gen. Clark LeMasters was one of the featured speakers at the unveiling ceremony. Other speakers at the event included Kathy Newsham, Bay City mayor, Mike Redford, WDCQ-TV, and Army Lt. Col. (Ret.) Charles Kettles, Medal of Honor recipient.
"This is an important historic occasion as we recognize our Gold Star Families who have sacrificed their loved ones who gave their lives while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States," LeMasters stated. "I am always touched when I meet the family members they have left behind because I sense the grief they are feeling and realize that there is little I can say or do to take away the pain and sorrow they are experiencing."
The Gold Star Families Memorial Monument program was introduced by Hershel "Woody" Williams, a former U.S. Marine who received the Medal of Honor in 1945. Williams founded the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation in 2010 to establish these monuments throughout communities across the country.
The Bay Veterans Foundation partnered with the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation to construct the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Bay City. To date, 21 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments have been dedicated across the country with 51 other monuments underway in 37 states.
"The purpose is to pay tribute to those who lost a loved one in service so to be a part of it is in and of itself very special regardless if you're veteran or non-veteran. It's just a great project," Tim Eckstein, chairman of Bay City's Gold Star Project, said.
A Gold Star Family member is a relative of a U.S. Armed Forces member who lost their life while serving in the U.S. Military. The purpose of the memorial monuments is to help remember the fallen Soldiers and the families who have made that ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Georgie Carter-Krell, mother of Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Marine Pfc. Bruce W. Carter, is quoted as saying "Dying for freedom isn't the worst thing that can happen. Being forgotten is."
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