Mississippi Gold Star Families Memorial Groundbreaking
CAMP SHELBY, Miss. - This is a press release from Camp Shelby.
A groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial honoring Mississippi Gold Star Families was held Wednesday at Camp Shelby.
The event revealed the site of the first of several monuments constructed in honor of fallen Service members and their Families.
The Gold Star Families Memorial Monument was created by the Hershel "Woody" Williams Medal of Honor Foundation founder and Medal of Honor recipient, Hershel "Woody" Williams.
The foundation embraces the indomitable courage demonstrated by Gold Star Family members and relatives for their enduring sacrifice. Williams is one of only six living WWII Medal of Honor recipients and the only living Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima.
"The Gold Star Families Memorial Monument located at Camp Shelby will be the first in the state of Mississippi; the citizens of this area are making history that will be recognized for years to come," said Williams.
"Our hope is that many of the youth in the local community, those at Camp Shelby, and the citizens of Mississippi will perhaps realize to some degree the sacrifices that have been made by the Families of our Warriors who fight to keep us a free people."
A Gold Star Family member can be any relative of someone who made the ultimate sacrifice serving in the Armed Forces, including: mother; father; stepmother; stepfather; parent through adoption; foster parents who stand or stood in place of parents; children; stepchildren; children through adoption; brothers; sisters; grandparents; grandchildren; aunts; uncles; cousins; and nephews or nieces.
Other monuments will be unveiled at later dates in the northern, central, and southern areas of the state.
