That Knock at the Door

That Knock at the Door PDF Author: Holly S. Fenelon
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781475925388
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
A blue star for each family member serving in Americas military a gold star if that life was lost in defense of the nations freedom. IN WORLD WAR I, the American tradition of the service flag began. Families displayed a simple fabric banner with a blue star for each family member serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. If a family member died in the nations service, a gold star covered that individuals blue star on the family service flag. Not a symbol of mourning, the gold star represented the familys pride and the honor and glory accorded to that individual for making the supreme sacrifice in defense of the Americas freedom. Soon, the term gold star mother came to be used to identify and honor women who had lost a son or daughter in wartime military service. Following the war, as the nation focused its attention on those veterans who had returned whole in mind and body, gold star mothers served as a constant reminder of the true cost of war. In 1928, a group of these women formed American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., an organization created to honor those who had died by being of service to veterans and their families in need, supporting gold star families, and caring for veterans who had returned with physical, emotional and psychological wounds. From that humble beginning, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. has become an icon of national service, opening its membership time and again to gold star mothers of later wars and conflicts, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Their amazing legacy of service is an important yet largely unknown chapter in American history. This book presents the story of gold star mothers in America and the first comprehensive history of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., drawn from nearly a century of archival materials. The fascinating story of the strong women who honored their fallen sons and daughters by dedicating themselves to the service of veterans and peace is both compelling and inspiring.

That Knock at the Door

That Knock at the Door PDF Author: Holly S. Fenelon
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9781475925388
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
A blue star for each family member serving in Americas military a gold star if that life was lost in defense of the nations freedom. IN WORLD WAR I, the American tradition of the service flag began. Families displayed a simple fabric banner with a blue star for each family member serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. If a family member died in the nations service, a gold star covered that individuals blue star on the family service flag. Not a symbol of mourning, the gold star represented the familys pride and the honor and glory accorded to that individual for making the supreme sacrifice in defense of the Americas freedom. Soon, the term gold star mother came to be used to identify and honor women who had lost a son or daughter in wartime military service. Following the war, as the nation focused its attention on those veterans who had returned whole in mind and body, gold star mothers served as a constant reminder of the true cost of war. In 1928, a group of these women formed American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., an organization created to honor those who had died by being of service to veterans and their families in need, supporting gold star families, and caring for veterans who had returned with physical, emotional and psychological wounds. From that humble beginning, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. has become an icon of national service, opening its membership time and again to gold star mothers of later wars and conflicts, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Their amazing legacy of service is an important yet largely unknown chapter in American history. This book presents the story of gold star mothers in America and the first comprehensive history of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., drawn from nearly a century of archival materials. The fascinating story of the strong women who honored their fallen sons and daughters by dedicating themselves to the service of veterans and peace is both compelling and inspiring.

American Gold Star Mothers

American Gold Star Mothers PDF Author: Holly S. Fenelon
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780982411766
Category : Grief
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description


The Gold Star Mother Pilgrimages of the 1930s

The Gold Star Mother Pilgrimages of the 1930s PDF Author: John W. Graham
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 078649199X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
During the first World War, a flag with a gold star identified families who had lost soldiers. Grieving women were "Gold Star" mothers and widows. Between 1930 and 1933, the United States government took 6,654 Gold Star pilgrims to visit their sons' and husbands' graves in American cemeteries in Belgium, England, and France. Veteran Army officers acted as tour guides, helping women come to terms with their losses as they sought solace and closure. The government meticulously planned and paid for everything from transportation and lodging to menus, tips, sightseeing, and interpreters. Flowered wreaths, flags, and camp chairs were provided at the cemeteries, and official photographers captured each woman standing at her loved one's grave. This work covers the Gold Star pilgrimages from their launch to the present day, beginning with an introduction to the war and wartime burial. Subsequent topics include the legislative struggle and evolution of the pilgrimage bill; personal pilgrimages, including that of the parents of poet Joyce Kilmer; the role of the Quartermaster Corps; the segregation controversy; a close examination of the first group to travel, Party A of May 1930; and the results of the pilgrimage experience as described by participants, observers, organizers, and scholars, researched through diaries, letters, scrapbooks, interviews, and newspaper accounts.

A Star for Mrs. Blake

A Star for Mrs. Blake PDF Author: April Smith
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0307948803
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
An emotionally charged historical novel based on the Gold Star Mothers. Cora Blake never dreamed she’d go to Paris. She’s hardly ever left the small fishing village where she grew up. Yet in the summer of 1931, she is invited to travel to France with hundreds of other Gold Star Mothers, courtesy of the U.S. government, to say goodbye to their fallen sons, American casualties of World War I who were buried overseas. Chaperoned by a dashing West Point officer, Cora’s group includes the wife of an immigrant chicken farmer; a housemaid; a socialite; a former tennis star in precarious mental health; and dozens of other women from all over the country. Along the way, the women will forge lifelong friendships as they face a death, a scandal, and a secret revealed.

They Shall Live: in the Words of America's Gold Star Mothers

They Shall Live: in the Words of America's Gold Star Mothers PDF Author: Daniel Roberts
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781479346905
Category : Mothers of war casualties
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
They Shall Live: In the Words of America's Gold Star Mothers is a companion book to the upcoming documentary They Shall Live, a film examining the lives and sacrifices of American Gold Star Mothers. Gold Star Mothers represent a unique identity in American society, both contemporary and historical - they are the mothers of our fallen service members whose lifelong sacrifice to our nation is often overlooked after the troops return home. They Shall Live aims to document the human experiences of Gold Star Mothers of all generations and their families while bridging the gap between service and civilian culture. They Shall Live: In the Words of America's Gold Star Mothers will serve as a supplement to the film, comprised of memoirs and wisdom from mothers nationwide, their experiences as mothers of departed children, the commitment to preserve the legacy of their child's sacrifice, and the means by which they obtained strength and hope. This companion book and the film currently in production will let the voices of American Gold Star Mothers nationwide be heard, a population of American society whose story is one of strength, courage, and enduring love.

Bodies of War

Bodies of War PDF Author: Lisa M. Budreau
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814799906
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
World War I marked the first war in which the United States government and military took full responsibility for the identification, burial, and memorialization of those killed in battle, and as a result, the process of burying and remembering the dead became intensely political. The government and military attempted to create a patriotic consensus on the historical memory of World War I in which war dead were not only honored but used as a symbol to legitimize America's participation in a war not fully supported by all citizens. In this book, the author unpacks the politics and processes of the competing interest groups involved in the three core components of commemoration: repatriation, remembrance, and return. This book emphasizes the inherent tensions in the politics of memorialization and explores how those interests often conflicted with the needs of veterans and relatives.

Mom

Mom PDF Author: Rebecca Jo Plant
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226670236
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
In the early twentieth century, Americans often waxed lyrical about “Mother Love,” signaling a conception of motherhood as an all-encompassing identity, rooted in self-sacrifice and infused with social and political meaning. By the 1940s, the idealization of motherhood had waned, and the nation’s mothers found themselves blamed for a host of societal and psychological ills. In Mom, Rebecca Jo Plant traces this important shift by exploring the evolution of maternalist politics, changing perceptions of the mother-child bond, and the rise of new approaches to childbirth pain and suffering. Plant argues that the assault on sentimental motherhood came from numerous quarters. Male critics who railed against female moral authority, psychological experts who hoped to expand their influence, and women who strove to be more than wives and mothers—all for their own distinct reasons—sought to discredit the longstanding maternal ideal. By showing how motherhood ultimately came to be redefined as a more private and partial component of female identity, Plant illuminates a major reorientation in American civic, social, and familial life that still reverberates today.

American Gold Star Mothers, Inc

American Gold Star Mothers, Inc PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Administrative Law and Governmental Relations
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description


Our Sons, Our Heroes, Memories Shared by America's Gold Star Mothers from the Vietnam War

Our Sons, Our Heroes, Memories Shared by America's Gold Star Mothers from the Vietnam War PDF Author: Linda Jenkin Costanzo
Publisher: Sonrisa Press LLC
ISBN: 9780989150606
Category : Mothers of war casualties
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
It was the sixties. Mothers waited anxiously for their sons to return from Vietnam. But a knock on the door and two uniformed men delivered the news that would change their lives. Take a journey with the author and step inside the homes of 16 mothers who candidly talk about losing their sons nearly 50 years ago. These broken-hearted, yet courageous women wondered whether our country would remember their sons. As they struggled to make sense of their devastating loss, they kept their faith. A whisper of hope entered their lives. They forged ahead to honor the sacrifices of their sons. Many joined the American Gold Star Mothers Inc. You will learn how they overcame their darkest moments. What would they like us to know about their sons and what would they say to their sons if they could? These mothers opened their hearts and spoke with unquestionable pride about their sons, their heroes. They face grief, anger and shock with laughter, tears and strength as they honor their sons with a love burnished by time. These are America's gold star mothers.

Keep Moving Forward

Keep Moving Forward PDF Author: Lloyd Byers D. Min.
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1449716288
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
This excellent book is a beautiful illustration of a life well lived. The life of this exemplary young man was cut short by ruthless, brutal enemies. I believe every person, especially every American youth, should read these true and inspiring words. Joshua Byers is one of the finest examples of what we need Americans to be. This writing will bring you to a new level of finding meaning and direction in your life. Ross Campbell, M.D. Retired child Psychiatrist and best selling author. I feel as though I know Josh better and look forward to having conversations with him in Heaven. We all think our children are the most special, but Josh really stood out from the crowd. I love how you have woven Joshs last words into a lesson on life. It is a tribute to Josh, but yet it is so much more. Molly Morel National President American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. (2010-2011) Molly is the proud Gold Star Mom of Captain Brent Morel, KIA Iraq, 2004. As a friend and West Point classmate of Josh, this book strikes home for me. As a combat veteran and infantry officer, my service in Iraq and Afghanistan was just like his. This book portrays so much about the ideals and sacrifices of a real hero and the struggles of so many of our families at home. Its a true portrayal of life at war, both at home and in combat. Joshs sacrifice will always be honored and I will keep moving forward in his name. Mike Jones Executive Director of Not Alone, Inc. www.notalone.com