By Lauren Jessop, Contributor, of The Center Square
Republished by Travels With The Post
(The Center Square) – There’s a Pennsylvania Gold Star Families Memorial Monument already installed on the campus of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Another has been erected in Williamsport. A third stands within Washington Crossing State Park in Washington Crossing.
All honor families bearing the profound loss of loved ones who gave their lives in service to the nation.
And, sometime later next year, a fourth monument will be added to the Capitol complex grounds in Harrisburg, to be located east of the Irvis Office Building. That’s due to Gov. Josh Shapiro and the state Legislature who, during November, authorized a state law allowing its construction.
A Gold Star family, according to the federal Defense Department’s Military OneSource website, is “the immediate family of a service member who died while serving in the military.”
The monument’s design has four black granite slabs with the words, “Gold Star Family Memorial Monument, a tribute to Gold Star Mothers, Fathers, and Relatives who sacrificed a Loved One for our Freedom,” featured on one side. Four scenes depict “Homeland, Patriot, Family and Sacrifice” on each panel on the other side.
To Date, 141 Monuments Nationwide
More than 46 additional monuments are under way in 50 states and 1 U.S. territory. Each is being erected by the Woody Williams Foundation and MI Charitable Foundation at no cost to taxpayers. To date, the Williams foundation is responsible for establishing 141 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments across the United States.
The MI Charitable Foundation has accepted responsibility for the monument’s construction and ongoing maintenance. The state Department of General Services has indicated it anticipates only minor related costs, which it says can be accomplished within its existing general operations budget.
The law began in March 2023 as House Bill 71, introduced by state Rep. Joseph Kerwin of Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, 62 miles southwest of Pottstown. Kerwin is a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, and was on deployment in eastern Africa when his bill passed the House by unanimous vote this April. The Senate’s 48-0 approving vote followed seven months later.
“I’ve been working on this memorial project for several years, and am thankful my fellow lawmakers saw the importance of permanently installing this monument on Capitol grounds,” Kerwin said in a media release.
“It is important these grieving families have a place to gather, reflect, pray and share in fellowship with one another,” he added. “The memorial would be a permanent fixture honoring the sacrifices of not only our fallen men and women in uniform, but also their loved ones.”
Families Pleased by the News
Pennsylvania Gold Star mothers Carol Resh and Nancy Smith are pleased about the news.
Resh’s son, U.S. Army Captain Mark Resh, a Silver Star recipient, was an Apache helicopter pilot. He was killed in action during 2007 combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “The monuments are beautiful, and it means a lot to the families that the fallen aren’t forgotten,” Resh told The Center Square.
“And, hopefully, people will go and visit them and understand what Gold Star Families are, and the sacrifices they’ve made – because, as you know, a lot of people don’t,” she added.
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Joshua B. Smith, an Afghanistan veteran, served for eight years and was honorably discharged in 2011. In 2012, he took his own life due to PTSD and traumatic brain injury connected to his service.
In an email to The Center Square, Smith said, “Having a Gold Star Memorial placed at the Capital where we can gather, honor, and remember our precious lost heroes means so much to us.” The Smiths, she continued, thanked Kerwin for his service, and for “taking care of our PA Gold Star Families and our Angels, from the bottom of our Hearts!”
Photo by Qun Li of the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument
in Havre De Grace MD, from Google Maps
Top photo by israel palacio on Unsplash, used by Travels With The Post under license
About This Feature
“The Year Past, The Year Ahead” is an annual feature of The Post Publications. Its online-only media services include Travels With The Post; two public Facebook Groups, Pottstown Foodie and Pottstown Arts Cultural Alliance; and seven Facebook Pages, including The Sanatoga Post, and The Pottstown Post.
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