Williamsport’s Veterans Memorial Park is one of the most striking and extensive tributes to our nation’s veterans that can be seen anywhere. It recently had another interesting feature when a former Navy A-6 Intruder jet was placed there. It is about to receive another notable and reverential component when the Central Pennsylvania Gold Star Families Monument is placed there. Work on the monument is expected to be completed by September of 2021.

Some of you may be asking, “what is a “Gold Star Mother?”

They are women entitled to display a gold star on a service flag as the mother, stepmother, adoptive mother, or foster mother of a United States Armed Forces member that died while engaged in action against an enemy recognized by the Secretary of Defense. There is an organization for Gold Star Mothers called “American Gold Star Mothers,” whose mission is finding strength in the fellowship of other Gold Star Mothers who strive to keep the memory of our sons and daughters alive by working to help veterans.

Bart and Connie Howard, whose son Abram was killed in action while serving as a Marine in Afghanistan, were the sparkplugs for the local monument.

Connie first explained a little more background about the Gold Star Family concept.

“First of all, obtaining a Gold Star is not the goal to have during any conflict,” Connie told Webb Weekly. “The Blue Star is hung in the window when any family member is serving in the military. When there is a ‘Killed in Action’ a Gold Star is hung in the window to denote that the serving family member is deceased. A Gold Star Family is the immediate member or members of a fallen service member who fell during a time of conflict.”

She described how they learned of the concept of such a monument and, in turn, decided that it would be a good idea to do something like it locally.

“My husband, Bart, and I were invited to Lovettsville, Virginia, to the unveiling on September 11 of this year by our friends, Ken and Tami Feese,” Connie said. “We did not know what to expect. When we arrived at the event, a huge open field held a secret under its cover. “There were about 300 people in attendance from all over the country. Herschel “Woody” Williams, a Medal of Honor winner, who is the originator/founder of the monument we were about to see, and Clinton Romesha were the guests of honor. When it was time to unveil the monument, everyone was speechless due to its beauty. We went to this event as strangers and left as family. We decided that a monument of this type would be good at the Veterans Memorial Park at Wahoo Drive and West Fourth Street.

Besides the Howards and the Feeses, the other member of the monument organizing committed include Dennis Norman.

It has not been determined when groundbreaking for the monument will take place.

If you wish to make a donation to the monument’s construction, write Central Pennsylvania Gold Star Memorial, P.O. Box 4174, Williamsport, PA. 17701. Make checks payable to HWWMOHF. The memo line should say, Central Pa Gold Star Families Memorial.