Designates September 22-29 Gold Star Families Remembrance Week Leading Up to Gold Star Mother’s Day
WASHINGTON — This week, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) joined bipartisan colleagues to introduce a resolution establishing the week of Sept. 22-29, 2019, as “Gold Star Families Remembrance Week” to honor the families of fallen members of our Armed Forces.
Gold Star Families Remembrance Week is a prelude to Gold Star Mother’s Day, observed by presidential proclamation since 1936 on the last Sunday of September. There is no official date dedicated to families affected by the loss of a loved one who died in the service of the United States.
Senator Doug Jones
“Our Gold Star families have made tremendous sacrifices and it is our duty to honor and care for them,” said Senator Jones, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “While this small token of our gratitude is long overdue, I hope we can come together as a nation to recognize and honor these families who have given so much to protect and defend our country.”
In setting aside Sept. 22-29 as a week of remembrance for Gold Star families, S.Res.313 encourages the people of the United States to perform acts of service and good will to honor the fallen, veterans, and their families. It states that, “the sacrifices of the families of the fallen members of the Armed Forces and the families of veterans of the Armed Forces should never be forgotten.”
The Senate last year approved a similar resolution, for the first time, to mark a formal recognition of the sacrifices made by families of U.S. military service members who lost their lives in service to the nation. The new resolution continues this commemoration.
The resolution is also sponsored by Todd Young (R-Ind.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Joni Ernt (R-Iowa), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Kysten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
A copy of the Gold Star Families Remembrance Week resolution is available here.
Media Release/Caroline Stonecpher/Alabama Senator Doug Jones
