Photo By Allen Meeks | U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command gathers with Gold Star Families as the...... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Soldiers and civilians raised a Gold Star Flag May 21 to honor local families who lost loved ones while serving in the armed forces.
Today’s Gold Star flag raising ceremony was the 10th one hosted by USASMDC. The command is the only one on Redstone Arsenal permitted to ceremonies of this kind, and families from across the Tennessee Valley traveled to honor their loved ones.
“Nobody prays for peace more than a Soldier who’s seen war, except perhaps our Gold Star Families who know the cost of freedom and service,” said Lt. Gen. John L. Rafferty, commanding general of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
“We should be reminded and sobered by this tradition, which dates back to World War I as we enter the summer season in anticipation of the celebration of America 250,” Rafferty continued.
During World War I, homes, businesses, schools and churches displayed white flags with red boarders and a blue star to indicate each family’s active service member. If a service member was killed in action or died during their service, the blue star was replaced with a gold one to honor the fallen.
“Our ceremony today, like visits to military cemeteries, is not just for the fallen, it is for the living,” Rafferty said. “It is for those still serving, in uniform and out. We visit cemeteries, we walk battlefields, and we conduct ceremonies like this to honor the fallen. To remember and to learn the lessons that they’ve provided and, most importantly, to be inspired, and for that inspiration we draw to renew our commitment to act and do more with the time and resources we have.”
The ceremony was attended by sons and daughters, mothers and fathers left behind by servicemen and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) David L. Mann, former commanding general for USASMDC was one of the family members in attendance.
“We're here to celebrate the life of our son-in-law, Sgt. William Benjamin Newson, who was killed in Iraq in 2005,” Mann said. “I think this ceremony is a fantastic way to make sure that we don’t forget those who have served our country. We’re very appreciative of SMDC that you continue to do this event to remember those loved ones that have served and will no longer be with us here on earth, but they’re up in heaven looking down on us.”
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.21.2026 17:14 |
| Story ID: | 565957 |
| Location: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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