Honoring Our New Hampshire Gold Star Mothers

New Hampshire observes Gold Star Mother’s Day on the Sunday following Easter each year. These women inspire others through their poise, gallantry and resilience to honor their son or daughter’s legacy.

For nearly a century, the Gold Star tradition has reminded Americans of the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives for their country. The tradition dates back to World War I when military families would hang a blue star in the windows of their homes to signify an active duty service member. That blue star was replaced with a gold star when a service member was killed in the line of duty.

This allowed members of the community to know the price that the family had paid in the cause of freedom. From this simple act of unity, the Gold Star Mothers, a network of mothers who have lost a son or daughter in combat, was formed.

The title of Gold Star Mother is a badge no woman wants. However, these women have stepped forward past the restraint of loss to band together for support and guidance. This group compiles matriarchs from generations of women who have survived their children during our nation’s historic conflicts. Their unifying loss bonds them when the rest of the world is numb to the aftermath of their children’s ultimate sacrifice.

Our Gold Star Mothers extend a hand to one another as an act of unifying and healing. If your or someone you know is a Gold Star Mother you can contact the State President, Denise Gionet ~  nhgoldstarmothers@gmail.com for more information.

                                        NH Gold Star Mother Memorial ~ Manchester, NH

Today we bow our heads to give thanks

Thanks to our Creator whose wisdom and strength is infinite.

Thanks to the winds, for cleansing tired and weary souls,
Thanks to the waters for life sustaining
Thanks to the Mother Earth as we lay her weary head to rest for
another season
Thanks to the Father Sun for warming our souls on the long cold days
Thanks to the fires that life is reborn anew.

Yes Creator today we give thanks for all of your little miracles
we take so much for granted each day

I thank you Creator for my warrior son,
Whose proud stance and carriage has
Carried him through many dark days,
And even darker nights.
He knows the Warriors Creed and
Knows the life he lives was chosen
Long ago for him.

I thank you Creator for the many hands
Each one holding a star blue or gold, to be enfolded
In this blanket not yet made
Each star is a prayer yet unanswered
They that share the knitting of a new blanket
In life they are the ones keeping the home fires lit

They are -
The mothers who stand beside, their child
Who are so far away, but so very near
The wives who stand beside their husbands
Who are so far away but so very near
The daughters who stand beside their
Mothers and grandmothers waiting for mommy or daddy to come home.
The husbands and fathers who stand waiting for their loved one
To come home.

Creator this day we give thanks
For prayers not yet answered.
Keep all of our family near and far strong –
know in our weakest moments
we are the strongest, know in the darkest moments
we are the light to guide them home.

Yes Creator this is a day of thanks
For all that has come before
And all that will come after.
Each little moment we give thanks
To you.

Keep our warriors strong,
Keep our warriors safe
Until all our hands and voices
Once again join together
Singing praise of Thanksgiving

Lynn VanCoonis 2007
Proud NH Blue Star Mother

Sharing from Ted Luszey, Operation Care for Troops (formally known as MooreMart)

Sharing from Ted Luszey, Operation Care for Troops (formally known as MooreMart)

Operation Care for Troops had a GREAT weekend! With the incredible support from the many generous people, corporations and , New Hampshire communities we collected enough supplies for our Holiday packing and for our next Winter Packing! We estimate three tons of goodies were put into storage after Saturday's event. With all your help Operation Care for Troops shipped 4751 Holiday stockings to our men and women serving in harms way. Even as we were packing these goodies and cards for our Troops we were getting new requests to send packages. We met these challenges and we exceeded our goal by more than 100% and we fullfilled all requests received! Thanks to each of you and your hard work.

On behalf of all of us at Operation Care for Troops I want to thank each and every one of you for your generosity and commitment to our mission of supporting our Troops and Veterans during this Holiday Season...

Thank you and happy Holidays!!

Ted Luszey

Operation Care for Troops

An Open Letter to Our Veterans

Since we became an independent country many years have come and gone, however, there is one constant that remains from the 1700’s through today. Our country has had many brave men and women volunteer to defend our country. There was a movie produced about World War II, whose name I cannot recall, but at the end there is a line which rings true (even though the words are not an exact quote), “Where do we get these brave men and women to always step forward when the need arises?” These men and women come from all over our country and too many times are taken for granted. Men and women, who during times of war and peace, are on-call 24 hours a day 7 days a week and spend countless holidays, birthdays and special events away from their family and friends. The pay is not great, but they continue to volunteer and many make it a career. They are mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins and friends. We may not always agree in the wars and battles that we fight, but this should not deter us from the support we give to these men and women in uniform. It is through the sacrifice that they and the numerous individuals before them have made, which provides us with the freedoms we have to disagree and speak our objections. While words cannot pay what we owe you and your families, we ‘thank you’ for your sacrifice. To the families who have lost loved ones, we offer our most heartfelt condolences. Many of us have never endured the pain you must feel, but our hearts hurt for your loss and wish we could help ease your pain. Let us never forget the people who did not make it home. Remember those still serving in our prayers and never take for granted the sacrifices they make. In closing, one more time I would like to say…… THANK YOU!!!

Wreaths for Boscawen ~ 

We want to share with you a great event that is happening in New Hampshire on December 12, 2015

Wreaths for NH Veterans Cemetery

We will be laying 1,500 wreaths at the NH Veterans Cemetery

on December 12, 2015 ~ Starting at 10:30am

This is an idea that started with a Gold Star Family in 2007 and was inspired by the wreaths placed at Arlington National Cemetery (Worcester Wreath Company) the Blue Star Mothers decided we needed to answer this Christmas wish.
Your donation of $7.00 will help us purchase the 12" Balsam Wreaths with a four loop red bow. Our wreaths are purchased locally and delivered to the NH Veterans Cemetery on December 12th. Download the donation form where you can make your donation in Honor of or in Memory of someone that will be entered on our Tribute page. 

Join us for the Wreaths for Boscawen on December 12th. To learn more visit: Blue Star Mothers of NH ~ Wreaths for Boscawen .

Military Appreciation Day at Apple Hill Farm

Military Appreciation Day

Apple Hill Farm

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Apple Hill Farm, Concord, NH invites you to their annual Military Appreciation Day. There will be apple picking, face painting, pumpkin painting, apple crisp and ice cream, and lots of other activities. Best of all, the day is FREE to all Military members, including those who are currently serving, Veterans, Retirees, and their families.

No need to register, you only need your Military ID to be part of the day. If you are a parent or significant other of a Military member and don’t have a Military ID, e-mail the Blue Star Mothers at nhbluestarmom@yahoo.com and they will add you to their list.

WHO: All current Military members, Veterans and Retirees and their respective families;
WHEN: Sunday, October 11, 2015 from 12 to 4PM
WHERE: Apple Hill Farm, Concord, NH ~ 580 Mountain Road, Concord, NH
CHARGE: FREE!

Apple Hill Farm is located at 580 Mountain Road, Concord, NH 03301. From the south, take Exit 17 off Route 93. Go left at the top of the ramp, then left at the stop sign; from the north take exit 17E off Route 93, and bear right over the highway then go left at the stop sign and look for the Apple Hill Farm sign on your right.

The Souther Family honors all Military, past and present, and are looking forward to seeing you again this year.

Chuck and Diane Souther
http://www.applehillfarmnh.com/

Gold Star Mothers Day Observed

Gold Star Mothers Day Observed ~ September 27, 2015

The United States began observing Gold Star Mothers Day on the last Sunday of September in 1936. It is a day for people to recognize and honor those who have lost a son or daughter while serving the United States Armed Forces.

Mothers of fallen service members began calling themselves "Gold Star Mothers" during the First World War, but the sorrowful bond they share reaches back to every woman who has lost a son or daughter in uniform since our nation's revolution.

In 1918 President Woodrow Wilson approved the wearing of black armbands bearing a gold star by those who had a family member who died in the military service to the United States. This distinguished them from the blue stars, representing a family member presently serving in the armed forces.

During World War I, families would hang flags in their windows that were white with red borders, inside, a blue star would represent each family member who was serving in the military. The name the Gold Star Mothers was derived from the custom of military families who when a service member was killed, the blue star was changed to a gold star.

Eleven years after the end of World War I, the United States Congress took an unprecedented step in the history of warfare, giving unusual recognition to the mothers of those killed in that war.

American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. was incorporated in 1929, obtaining a federal charter from the US Congress. It began with 25 mothers living in the Washington DC area and soon expanded to include affiliated groups throughout the nation. On June 23, 1936, a joint congressional resolution designated the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mother's Day, a holiday that has been observed each year by a presidential proclamation.

In 1947, the Gold Star Lapel pin was designed and created to be presented to eligible surviving family members of service members who died while deployed in support of overseas contingency operations, or who died from wounds sustained in theater. A gold star symbolizes a family member who died in the line of duty while serving the United States Armed Forces.  It may be seen on a service flag or in the form of a pin, which is worn by Gold Star mothers. The pin is not limited to mothers and it is awarded by the US Department of Defense.

In the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944:

"There is nothing adequate which anyone in any place can say to those who are entitled to display the gold star in their windows America lives in freedom because of the sacrifices of America's finest citizens and of the mothers who raised them.."