[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 131 (Friday, September 26, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1875-E1876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         GOLD STAR MOTHER'S DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ZACH WAMP

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 1997

  Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, they were in the prime of life, full of hope 
and youthful promise, when they died defending their country and 
preserving our freedom. Their loss was and is heart-breaking for the 
families and friends they left behind. And--enjoying the long period of 
peace and freedom that these young American service men and women 
bought so dearly--we are in danger of forgetting their great sacrifice.
  But there is one group of fine Americans who are uniquely able to 
make sure that the rest of us do not forget. They are the Gold Star 
Mothers. Each one lost a child who died in the military service of our 
country during time of war.
  I am proud and grateful that we have a strong and active group of 
Gold Star Mothers in the Third District of Tennessee, which I represent 
in Congress. On Sunday, September 28, they and their counterparts from 
all across the Nation are marking Gold Star Mother's Day. They are part 
of a group that had its roots in the first great conflict of the 20th 
Century: World War I. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that service 
flags would be displayed at homes that had family members serving the 
country. Blue Stars were displayed for each family member in the Armed 
Forces. And, as the war progressed and casualties mounted, the stars 
were turned to Gold Stars to represent each service member killed 
defending our country.
  The Gold Star Mothers were officially organized in Washington, DC, in 
1929. But one does not have to be a formal member of the national 
organization to be a Gold Star Mother. The standard for entering this 
revered group of Americans is much, much higher and more difficult than 
simply joining an organization. One must have had a child who made the 
supreme sacrifice for our country. In 1936 Congress--in a joint 
resolution--designated the last Sunday in September as Gold Star 
Mother's Day. In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt further recognized 
the day.
  These Gold Star Mothers, perhaps better than anyone else, know the 
agony that comes from caring for, nurturing, and raising up a child 
only to see that young life lost just as it is beginning. But these 
fine Americans, who include at least 62 ladies from the Chattanooga 
area, deserve the greatest admiration, thanks and respect from all of 
us.
  These ladies whose loved ones did not make it home devote themselves 
to caring for

[[Page E1876]]

and helping those who did. In a supreme act of love and concern for 
others, many Gold Star Mothers dedicate themselves to helping the 
children of other mothers, children who survived war. Gold Star Mothers 
assist in all manner of ways. They visit veterans' hospitals to help 
service people there. They take part in patriotic observances that help 
all of us remember the sacrifices that bought our freedom. On Sunday 
those in the Chattanooga area are marking the observance of the day 
during a candlelight ceremony at VFW Post 4848 in Chattanooga.
  I salute the Gold Star Mothers of the Third District, the Chattanooga 
area, and the Nation. All of us should be grateful that our Nation 
produces men and women with the courage and dedication to make the 
supreme sacrifice so that we might be free. We should be thankful too 
that our Nation has mothers whose courage and compassion help make 
those sacrifices worth it and--in the most special way--make sure that 
the memory of those who died for our country lives on.

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