This year, April 5 celebrates 72 years of the Gold Star Wives of America. This group serves and supports widows and widowers whose spouses have died as a result of military service or because of disabilities that happened during that service.
A New York woman named Marie Jordan formed the group just before the end of World War II. Jordan’s husband had recently been killed fighting in Germany. And she knew there were other women like her, so she got a few of them together with the idea of talking and offering support to each other.
Word of the group spread fast, and its numbers grew. It even attracted the involvement of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, whose husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, had died the same year. With her help, the group garnered even more attention.
Still, it took decades of effort to get the group formally recognized by the U.S. government. On December 4, 1980, the Gold Star Wives of America finally received its congressional charter.
Today, men are also granted membership in the organization, which has grown to more than 10,000 members. The group is divided up into eight regions across the U.S. In Texas, there are four chapters: Brazos Valley, Coastal Bend, El Paso Del Norte and Lone Star.
The group continues to serve as a system of emotional support for widows and widowers. It also helps members navigate a sometimes complex benefits system and fights for those benefits in front of U.S. House and Senate committees. Each legislative session, members appear on issues related to compensation, education benefits and medical care.
Similar groups include American Gold Star Mothers and Blue Star Mothers of America. The first is a group for mothers who have lost a child in service of their country. The second is a group for mothers who have children still serving in the military. Both organizations have chapters in Texas.
Veteran Energy is grateful for the hard work and commitment of these groups. We know the strength of our nation and its soldiers comes down to the strength of families.
