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By Pfc. Ayla Cameron
153rd Public Affairs Detachment
West Virginia Army National Guard
Sept. 24, 2023
KINGWOOD, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard (WVNG) hosted its annual Gold Star Families Retreat this weekend at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, West Virginia, Sept. 22-24, 2023, for more than 150 attendees.
The retreat is held annually to honor the service and sacrifice of Gold Star Families - those whose family member died in service to the nation.
“It is our honor to be here, to give them our respect and our love for what they sacrificed for me,” said Suzan Izzo, Gold Star volunteer and WVNG Child and Youth Programs staff.
Maj.Gen. William Crane, the WVNG Adjutant General shared this same sentiment.
“You didn’t necessarily sign-up for this - someone else signed-up for you,” said WVNG Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. William Crane. “You got to go along, and then your member paid the ultimate sacrifice. We want to make sure we remember those servicemembers. We can never forget. As long as we remember them, they’ll never be forgotten.”
Each year this event provides families from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and surrounding states the opportunity to come together for the weekend to share in their common bond.
Nashina Anderson, a Gold Star spouse, when speaking on her daughter’s response to getting their invitation to attend the weekend, said, “Oh when I come here, she said ‘yes, I get to go there and get some peace.’”
When asked about their favorite parts of the weekend, many attendees shared the feeling of being a family and part of a sorority or fraternity that they didn’t ask to join, but are proud to be a part of.
“It’s all about being around all the families and hearing all their stories, and realizing you’re not alone,” said Charles Jackson, Gold Star Father.
The retreat helps honor the Gold Star Families who are there for one another even in their own grief, bringing solace to others who understand their loss. Various events promote healing, camaraderie and remembrance of the family’s lost loved one, such as fishing, archery, rappelling, golfing, cupcake decorating and painting.
“We’re all here to help each other, because we’ve all been through the same thing,” said Teresa Brown, a Gold Star mother. “Nobody is any different. My son might have died one way in one part of one country, another one could've died another way in another part of another country, but we’re all still the same. It doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t matter what branch of the military they’re in, we’re all family.”
Vendors such as Military One Source, Tricare, USO and Operation ActiVet were on site to assist with everything from financial questions and insurance, to staying connected and healthy. This is part of the WVNG pledge to ensure that these heroes’ families have the resources and support they need in the absence of their loved ones.
The weekend concluded with a prayer breakfast, followed by an honor and remembrance ceremony.
The U.S. Congress designated the last Sunday in September as “Gold Star Mother’s Day” on June 23, 1936, which has since been expanded to Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day. The WVNG’s Gold Star Family Retreat is always scheduled to include this day, as the WVNG leadership and One Guard Family thank these families for their service and their sacrifice.
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2023 12:22 |
| Story ID: | 454213 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, WVNG Celebrates and Honors Gold Star Families, by Ayla Cameron, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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