Secretary Shinseki Honors Gold Star Mothers and Families

Secretary Shinseki Honors Fallen Heroes, Parents
Arlington Ceremony for American Gold Star Mothers and Families Day

WASHINGTON – On the 69th anniversary of American Gold Star Mothers and Families Day, an annual remembrance of mothers who lost sons and daughters in military service, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki pledged to ensure the nation’s fallen heroes are remembered.

"In my capacity as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and as steward of 130 national cemeteries, I can promise you that your sons and your daughters will not be forgotten," Shinseki said Sept. 27 during ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery.

The American Gold Star Mothers are a unique service organization, chartered by Congress on June 4, 1928, to honor deceased service members and their mothers.  The group volunteers to help hospitalized Veterans in facilities operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). They also work with the families of military personnel killed on active duty.

On Sept. 14, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a proclamation setting aside the last Sunday in September as American Gold Star Mothers and Families Day for "a public expression of the love, sorrow and reverence of the people of the United States for the American Gold Star Mothers."

Shinseki praised the group for "your sacrifice, your service to each other and to Veterans, and the legacy of freedom your children have left to future generations of Americans."