Great Lakes Gold Star Event Commemorates Fallen Service Members

NORTH CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES

12.07.2023

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Joseph Montemarano 

Naval Station Great Lakes

GREAT LAKES, Ill. – Maura Bradshaw, Navy Gold Star coordinator, coordinated an event with Chris Ponchak, Great Lakes Navy Exchange manager, to recognize Navy Gold Star families in the Midwest with a Holiday Memorial Tree in the front entrance of the Navy Exchange at Burkey Mall on Dec. 7.

Cmdr. Terry Traweek, Naval Station Great Lakes executive officer, spoke at a short ceremony on Thursday during which Sailors decorated the tree with photos memorializing Sailors who died on active duty.

“The holiday season can be can be rough for Gold Star Families,” said Traweek. “Oftentimes, holiday family traditions stop or feel incomplete. This event offers an opportunity for families to create a tradition to honor the memory of their service members.”

Bradshaw works with approximately 600 Gold Star family members.

After the remarks, five Sailors from Naval Station Great Lakes decorated the tree to honor their shipmates who had passed on. One by one, the Sailors read the names of the fallen on each ornament and solemnly hung them on the tree. The tree will be on display throughout the holiday season.

The Navy Gold Star program was established to help provide continuing support for surviving family members of fallen service members. The program honors Gold Star Families throughout the year by hosting events that pay tribute to their lost loved ones, providing resources and opportunities to connect with one another and to their greater Navy family.

For more about the program, go to https://www.navygoldstar.com/.

For more news from Naval Station Great Lakes, visit www.dvidshub.net/unit/NSGLPA or www.facebook.com/NavalStationGreatLakes.

• Date Taken: 12.07.2023
• Date Posted: 12.07.2023 16:39
• Story ID: 459429
• Location: NORTH CHICAGO, IL, US