JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Survivor Outreach Services hosted a Gold Star Mother’s Day ceremony, Sept. 30, 2018, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, in honor of the Gold Star families and fallen service members.
The ceremony featured U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John George, Army Capabilities Integration Center deputy director as the guest speaker and U.S. Army Chaplain Juan Crockett, Initial Military Training command chaplain gave an invocation and read a poem dedicated to Gold Star Mothers.
Gold Star Mother’s Day is observed on the last Sunday in September annually and was created to recognize and honor the mothers who lost their son or daughter while serving in the U.S. military.
To honor those who make the ultimate sacrifice, SOS, an Army-wide program, holds events throughout the year to show appreciation and empathy for the surviving families for the hard times they have experienced.
“Whenever SOS does an event here at JBLE, we remember the Gold Star Family members lost and the ultimate sacrifice that was made on behalf of our nation,” Rochelle Crockett, SOS support coordinator. “JBLE knows that freedom is not free.”
The butterfly release represents how mothers and families have endured and embraced change as they have had to transform their lives in search of a new “normal” and hope.
“These events honor my wife, who spent 32 years in the military and she was at Fort Eustis on active duty when she died,” Frank Bash, spouse, said. “(The butterfly release) is something that remembers her--we were together for 20 something years and it’s important to me. She’s somebody I will never forget but no one will ever replace her.”
SOS helps surviving families of Soldiers by providing a support coordinator, who acts as a link to necessary resources and answers.
For more information or to locate the nearest SOS, call 888-707-2769 or visit www.armymwr.com.