A resolution will go before the state next month that will designate September 29th as Gold Star Mothers and Family Day in California.
The resolution, ACR 61, was authored by Kern County Assemblyman Rudy Salas and passed unanimously on Monday. Gold Star Mothers and Families is an organization that honors the memory of fallen soldiers.
The United States has been observing Gold Star Mothers Day since 1936.
The full text of the resolution reads:
WHEREAS, The history of Gold Star Families began in the United States shortly after World War I to provide support for mothers who lost sons or daughters in the war; and
WHEREAS, The reference to the Gold Star comes from the custom of families of servicemen or servicewomen hanging a service flag in the window of their homes displaying a blue star for every living family member in the service and a gold star for those who have perished; and
WHEREAS, The United States began observing Gold Star Mothers’ Day on the last Sunday of September in 1936, and the Gold Star Wives was formed before the end of World War II; and
WHEREAS, Since 2009, United States President Barack Obama has issued annual proclamations designating the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mothers’ and Families’ Day; and
WHEREAS, The strength of our military is built upon the men and women who serve in uniform and the families who support them; and
WHEREAS, Since the start of the War on Terror, more than 6,800 members of the United States Armed Forces have lost their lives; and
WHEREAS, The families of our fallen soldiers have made a tremendous sacrifice on behalf of our country; and
WHEREAS, All Gold Star Families deserve to be recognized by our local, state, and federal leaders for their sacrifices and for their dedicated and patriotic support of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Supporting Gold Star Families who have lost loved ones to combat demonstrates the commitment of the American people to those families now and in the future; and
WHEREAS, As a nation, we must continually look for new ways to support Gold Star Families both in the days immediately following the tragedy and in the years that follow; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims September 29, 2019, as Gold Star Mothers’ and Families’ Day in California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
