Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Gold Star Mothers

Hi, everyone.

A few days ago, I posted the Any Hero card shown here. I mentioned that I only use this paper for Any Hero cards because of its gold stars, in spite of how much I love it. A couple of folks were puzzled by my statement. So, I thought I would take a couple of minutes to write about Gold Star Mothers, which I first learned about from hubby a few years ago.


The link above will take you to the official history of Gold Star Mothers. I will do my best to provide a brief summary.

During World War I, homes, businesses, churches, schools and other organizations displayed Service Flags. On each flag, there was a blue star representing each individual from the family or organization who was serving the Armed Forces.There was a gold star for each individual who had died from such service to his or her country.

"The idea of the Gold Star was that the honor and glory accorded the person for his supreme sacrifice in offering for his country, the last full measure of devotion and pride of the family in this sacrifice, rather than the sense of personal loss which would be represented by the mourning symbols."

On June 4, 1928, the national organization that came to be known as American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., was founded by twenty-five mothers living in Washington, D.C. In 1942, membership was opened to mothers who had lost a son or daughter during World War II or the Korean Conflict. In 1984, the organization was granted a charter by the Congress of the United States. This amazing organization continues to support those families who have made the greatest sacrifice.


Making OWH Cards with Gold Starred-Paper

 When I first found that fabulous SignifyPink paper several years ago, I couldn't wait to use it for some OWH cards. But, when I showed my cards to hubby, he was surprised that they would be sent to family members. That's when I first learned about Gold Star Mothers -- and decided against using the paper on future cards.

A few months later, Sandy posted a card using the same paper. When I asked her about using the paper, she suggested using it for Any Hero cards, saying that the troops themselves don't give much thought to gold stars.And, that's what I've done ever since seeing Sandy's card.

Parting Thought

Thanks to fellow cardmakers who asked about the gold star statement in my last post. Please click here to learn more about Gold Star Mothers.


1 comment:

Paula S. said...

I just wanted to thank you for the background on the Gold Star Mother's. Though I knew the significance of the term I didn't know the history of it. The paper is really nice and great on this Any Hero card.