On Saturday, October 11, a new Gold Star Family Monument will be dedicated at Veterans Memorial Park in Tampa. The Hillsborough County Consumer & Veteran Services and the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County invite the community to be part of the unveiling and dedication.
Gold Star families include the parents, siblings, spouses and children of a service member who died in the line of duty. The term originated during World War I, when families displayed a service flag with a blue star for a serving military family member. If the service member died, the star was changed to gold to signify their sacrifice.
The Veterans Council’s Gold Star Monument Committee worked tirelessly in partnership with the Woody Williams Foundation for the shared mission to honor and recognize Gold Star families. The Gold Star Family Monument was created by Medal of Honor recipient Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams to remember those families who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Dave Braun is a Vietnam War veteran, the chairman of the Gold Star Family Memorial Project and an honorary board member of the Woody Williams Foundation. He initiated the project with a dedicated group of seven in 2022. In 2023, they were able to partner with the Woody Williams Foundation to raise funds for the Gold Star Monument.
“They (the Woodey Williams Foundation) helped us raise a lot of money because they gave us a national website. That was really a big help. We’ve paid for the memorial now and it is going to come in on October 1 by caravan, escorted down from the Georgia line down 75 to Tampa,” Braun said.
The monument is a two-sided tribute made of black granite. It will be installed in front of the Veterans Resource Center, with the ceremony to be held at the outdoor amphitheater. The ceremony will feature: the Armwood High School JROTC Color Guard; a rifle salute/taps; proclamations from Tampa and Hillsborough County; a wreath presentation and dove release; keynote speaker Annette Kirk, national president of American Gold Star Mothers Inc.; and post-ceremony refreshments provided by Mission BBQ Brandon and Riverview.
The Gold Star Family Monument Dedication event is free and begins at 10 a.m. on October 11 at Veterans Memorial Park, located at 3602 N. U.S. 301 in Tampa.
For more information about the Woody Williams Foundation and the Veterans Memorial Park Gold Star Family Memorial Monument, visit https://woodywilliams.org/monuments/tampa-fl3.html. For more information about Veteran’s Memorial Park & Museum, visit https://hcfl.gov/locations/veterans-memorial-park-and-museum.
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