To date, our Country has lost nearly 1.4 million men and women in combat, and other related causes, leaving behind millions of families to grieve the loss of these brave service members.
How do we repay a family who has lost so much? For many families, all they have left in memory of their loved one is a gold star pin and a folded flag representative of the sacrifice made by both the service member and family. The RNC Gold Star Family Monument seeks to do more for our Gold Star Families.
It is our vision to create a peaceful place for all families and friends to Remember, Reflect, Honor & Heal. The Monument will stand as Tribute to both Freedom and Sacrifice, educating the community on the history of the Gold Star, and proudly proclaiming that our fundamental American values of Life, Liberty, and Freedom are all worth living, fighting and even dying for.
What is a Gold Star Family?
They are the American families who have endured the loss of a loved one who died in military service, or from other military related causes. These families have lost fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, sisters and brothers, so that we could live FREE. How do we honor a family who has sacrificed everything for the American Dream?
The history of the Gold Star dates as far back as World War 1. Families across America would hang a flag with a blue star in honor of a family member fighting in the war. If that family member died, a gold star would be placed over the blue star. To date, America has lost nearly 1.4 million service members to war and other military related causes. It is said that the Gold Star is “An Honor that no one wants”. Perhaps the greatest grief of a Gold Star Family is the fear that the sacrifice made by both service member and family lay forgotten, buried with the fallen. It is time we do more for our Gold Star Families.
RNC Gold Star Family Monument was approved in 2016 as a 501c3 non-profit to build a Gold Star Family Monument in the Riverside National Cemetery. The Committee members are local Gold Star Mothers and Wives dedicated to fulfilling the local needs of Gold Star Families in the Inland Empire. The committee members participate in local Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies, have formed foundations to benefit military children, raise money for scholarships, donate to several local JROTC organizations and Veteran’s programs, volunteer at the Riverside National Cemetery by assisting families arriving for funeral services, and are guests of honor during the Wreaths Across America event held annually at Riverside National Cemetery. The RNC Gold Star Family Monument will bring recognition and honor to all Gold Star Families living in the Inland Empire, and across our great nation. The RNC Gold Star Monument will stand as a tribute to the sacred and selfless sacrifice made by both service member and family, and fulfill a long-awaited vision to provide all Gold Star Families with:
“A Place to Remember, Reflect, Honor, and Heal.”