Gold Star widow reflects on sacrifice 25 years after 9/11: ‘Remember the families'

by The National News Desk

Fri, September 11, 2026 at 11:29 AM

Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed the United States and sent a generation of Americans into military service, one Gold Star widow is reminding the country that the sacrifice of war does not end when a service member dies.

Kimberly Hazelgrove understands that sacrifice from both sides.

She served in the U.S. Army, and in 2004, her husband, Chief Warrant Officer Brian Hazelgrove, was killed while serving in Iraq. Kimberly was left to raise their young children without their father.

Today, she serves as national vice president of Gold Star Spouses of America, working to support surviving military spouses and their families.

Speaking with The National News Desk on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Hazelgrove reflected on how she has worked to ensure her children know their father, some of whom were too young to remember.

"Our kids were very young," Hazelgrove said. "Our youngest was only six months old when he died in Iraq. Our oldest was about 11."

That meant each child experienced the loss differently.

"They've had to grow up without their parent, each of them grieving separately, depending on how old they are and their memories," Hazelgrove said. "Our youngest have no memories of their dad."

For Hazelgrove, keeping Brian's memory alive has meant teaching their children about more than his military career. She wants them to understand the principles that guided his life.

"I really tried to make sure that they know his values and that we live and teach those every day: service to others, devotion to his family and, of course, hard work," she said.

"You don't get anywhere without hard work in your life," Hazelgrove added. "Those are the tenets of what Brian stood for."

Brian Hazelgrove was among the thousands of American service members killed during the wars that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.

For their families, Hazelgrove said the consequences of those conflicts continue long after the initial loss.

"We know that that sacrifice doesn't end the day that the event happens," she said. "We are going to carry grief throughout our lives."

Hazelgrove said she was also thinking on the anniversary about the nearly 3,000 people killed on Sept. 11 and the first responders who rushed toward danger as the attacks unfolded.

"I do want to say how much I'm thinking about the families today from 9/11 and the first responders who heroically responded," she said. "Our life was completely changed on 9/11."

The Sept. 11 attacks would lead to the launch of the war in Afghanistan and become part of the broader context for a generation of U.S. military operations overseas.

For Gold Star families, anniversaries can also serve as reminders that grief changes over time, along with the financial, health care and other needs of surviving spouses and children.

"Our benefits and resources that we can access are also going to change," Hazelgrove said.

Gold Star Spouses of America works to connect surviving spouses with others who have experienced similar losses while advocating for benefits and resources for military families.

Hazelgrove said one of the organization's central messages to newly grieving families is that they do not have to navigate that experience alone.

"We will never leave you alone," Hazelgrove said.

"We have generations of spouses who help to share their experience and connect with other surviving spouses so that they have an easier path to walk," she added.

That support remains necessary as another generation of American military families experiences the death of loved ones serving their country.

Hazelgrove said she does not minimize how difficult the road ahead can be for families receiving that news.

"It's not going to be easy, and it's going to be very tough times ahead," she said.

"You're going to hear things that don't make sense. You're in grief, and you're going to be in grief for a while."

But Hazelgrove said organizations serving Gold Star families are working to ensure surviving spouses and children understand what assistance is available to them.

"We are here working to make sure that the benefits that you have available are going to take care of you and your children for as long as you need them," she said.

Hazelgrove said the organization is also advocating for changes to benefits that have not kept pace with the needs of surviving military families.

"We have some benefits that we are working on currently that haven't been updated in over 30 years," she said, pointing in particular to older surviving spouses who are struggling financially.

"We have to stick together, and we have to make sure that we are available to help everyone, no matter what they're going through," Hazelgrove said.

The phrase "Never Forget" has become inseparable from the annual commemoration of Sept. 11.

But for Gold Star families, Hazelgrove said forgetting their loss was never an option.

Twenty-five years after the attacks, she wants Americans to broaden the meaning of remembrance to include the spouses, children and other loved ones who continue living with the consequences of military sacrifice.

"Thank you for honoring my husband and his sacrifice to this country," Hazelgrove said. "But we would also like America to know and to remember and honor the families that are left behind."

Hazelgrove pointed to health care as one area where she believes surviving military families need additional attention, noting that some dependent children can lose certain military health coverage at an earlier age than young adults are permitted to remain on a parent's private health insurance plan.

"Benefits need to be updated for today's economic realities," she said.

For Hazelgrove, remembering her husband means continuing that work.

And as America marks a quarter-century since the attacks that shaped an entire generation of military service, she has a simple request for those honoring the men and women who never returned home.

"Don't just honor my husband," Hazelgrove said. "Remember him and honor him by remembering the families."

Original link: Gold Star widow reflects on sacrifice 25 years after 9/11: ‘Remember the families'

A Gold Star spouse’s journey to make the process better for other grieving military families

byMaggie BenZvi

September 11, 2026

Kimberly Hazelgrove and her husband Brian

An Operaon Enduring Freedom veteran is speaking out about how her experience with casualty assistance led to a lifelong career of supporting other surviving spouses and children around the U.S.

Kimberly Hazelgrove and her husband Brian were both active-duty Army at Fort Campbell on Sept. 11, 2001.

“The operational tempo from that point on was obviously focused on what we 

Within three years, that response had left her without her career or her husband, after Brian, a helicopter pilot, died in Mosul, Iraq, in January 2004. He was survived by four children, and Kimberly was forced to leave the service after nine and half years as an intelligence officer.

“I was very bewildered and angry with my experience through the casualty process,” Hazelgrove said. “It felt antiquated. They always tell you that your family’s going to be taken care of if something ever happens to you. That gives us the autonomy to go forth and put our lives on the line in order to keep America safe, but it doesn’t always actually happen.”

Kimberly Hazelgrove visits her husband’s grave.

Hazelgrove initially transferred her skills as an analyst to working for Lockheed Martin, but after she “came out of the fog” of her grief, she decided to put her energy towards reforming the military’s Casualty Assistance Program and serving on multiple Veterans Affairs committees.

“[Back then] when the surviving spouse went through this process, they were almost immediately told to pack up and leave the military base and to start your life anew,” she said. “Wherever you went after that, there was nothing in society to help you on that journey. No place to go back to ask questions to figure out the next steps. ‘Here’s a binder. Here’s all the information you need to know. Good luck.’ I cannot tell you even today where that binder went.”

One result of those VA advisory committees was the Office of Survivors Assistance, which she takes pride in having had a part in creating.

“I remember sitting next to Gen. Richard Cody, who I used to work for at the 101st Airborne,” she said. “He asked me why I didn’t come to him to help me through that process, and I [said], ‘Because you would have taken care of me, but the system needed [to be] changed.’ That takes a lot more steps, a lot more authorizations, a lot more paperwork. And I did not want another surviving spouse to go through the same things that I went through.”

Today, Kimberly Hazelgrove works as the national VP of Gold Star Spouses of America.

Hazelgrove now serves as the national vice president of Gold Star Spouses of America, which was founded in 2024 to ensure that all surviving spouses, regardless of gender, receive the support they need. The organization structures its programs around what it has termed the CARE Model: connection, advocacy, remembrance, and education.

Gold Star Spouses of America is a membership-based organization that connects surviving spouses from across the country, giving them face to face time to learn from one another, as well as advocate through telling their stories to Congress and other government officials. They also educate bereaved spouses about their benefits and how those benefits change for them and their children through their survivor journey.

“We’ve all had that knock on the door, and we know what comes after that, and we know what happens when all that immediate support goes away and you are left alone,” she said. “But they’re not alone. When we move forward, it’s not the same thing as us moving on. We still have that loss. We still have that family member that’s never coming home. That grief timeline is not the same for everybody. So when they are ready, we are here. “

Original Article Link:  A Gold Star spouse's journey to make the process better for other grieving military families - Military Spouses - Military Families

‘9/11 changed our lives’: Gold Star spouse and Army veteran reflects on the attacks and the impact on military families

By LINDA F. HERSEY  STARS AND STRIPES Published September 10, 2026

Kimberly and Brian Hazelgrove were a dual military couple who served together in the Army, met on active duty at Fort Campbell, Ky., and married in 1999 while on deployment in South Korea. Although the couple soon started a family while stationed stateside, they each had aspirations and planned for long careers in the military. But the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the U.S. refocused their duties, upended domestic routines and made life harder for them as a married military couple responding to unpredictable deployments across multiple war zones.

“9/11 changed our whole lives from the moment it happened. Everything we had known prior as a dual military couple didn’t exist,” said Hazelgrove, who was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and served on an intelligence team in the months after the attacks 25 years ago.

Kimberly was a sergeant who worked as an intelligence analyst, and Brian was a chief warrant officer training as a helicopter pilot. Like many other military couples, the Hazelgroves endured back-to-back deployments.

“There was a lot of time away from each other and from our children,” said Kimberly, referring to the couple’s own two small children, as well as Brian’s two school-age children, who lived in another state.

“Everything was focused on the next steps to defend the country and hunt down those responsible for the tragedy of 9/11,” Hazelgrove said.

Kimberly and Brian Hazelgrove attended a military celebration connected to Brian’s training and graduation in 2002 from Army helicopter pilot school in Fort Rucker, Ala. Brian died in January 2004 in a helicopter crash in Iraq. (Kimberly Hazelgrove) In 2003, the Hazelgroves were stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., where Brian flew OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters with the 10th Mountain Division. He received orders to deploy to Iraq in November. Three months into that mission, Brian died in an accident while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The helicopter he piloted crashed on Jan. 23, 2004, shortly after takeoff near Mosul, Iraq. Brian was 29 years old. Their youngest daughter, Katelyn, was just 6 months old.

Hazelgrove then made the hard choice to transition out of the military to become a full-time parent. For the next 25 years, she raised their two children as a single mother. “I lost my career, as well as the no-cost health benefits I had before,” she said. The sudden death of her husband — combined with the loss of spousal benefits — reshaped Hazelgrove’s life and became the catalyst for her grassroots advocacy for widowed spouses such as herself.

In 2024, she was a charter founding member of Gold Star Spouses of America.

“The attacks of 9/11 created a generation of Gold Star families. This year’s 25th anniversary lands in the middle of a new war in Iran, and a new generation of Gold Star families is being created right now,” according to the organization."

Between 1.9 million and 3 million U.S. service members deployed to conflicts in the Middle East as part of the U.S.-led global war on terrorism launched after the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. By 2021, U.S. military operations to counter international terrorism had resulted in more than 7,000 U.S. military fatalities and over 53,000 personnel wounded in action, according to the institute. Gold Star Spouses, a nonprofit, supports and advocates for surviving military spouses — men and women — and their children. Hazelgrove serves as vice president.

In the months and years after Brian’s death, Hazelgrove became active in a grassroots movement to reinstate vital military spousal benefits that Congress had stripped away decades earlier. Known as the “widow’s tax,” the 1972 law reduced a widowed spouse’s Survivor Benefit Plan payment, dollar-for-dollar, by the amount received from the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. SBP is an annuity that service members pay into from their retirement pay Kimberly Hazelgrove is shown in 2003 in her official Army photo.

Hazelgrove served from 1995 to 2004, achieving the rank of sergeant first class, when she left the military. (Kimberly Hazelgrove) Hazelgrove joined other surviving military spouses to lobby and testify before Congress to repeal the measure, sometimes bringing her two children with her. “I was told there was no money. [Lawmakers] said we know it’s wrong, ethically and morally, but there was no money.” But she and other activists kept pushing. In 2017, Hazelgrove traveled to Capitol Hill, met President Donald Trump, who was in his first term, and also spoke with then-Vice President Mike Pence. Congress repealed the offset in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

“It was life changing for me and my family. We were near poverty,” Hazelgrove said. “I’m still digging out of debt.”

Hazelgrove said that her advocacy work with Gold Star Spouses is her life mission. She said that the work enables her to provide for other widowed spouses the support that was often lacking after her husband died.

“When you’re a survivor, there is no infrastructure in local communities, which is what Gold Star Spouses is growing,”Hazelgrove said.

“We as Americans pledge to honor the fallen soldiers. But the sacrifices and losses that their families experience are often unseen and not recognized.”

Gold Star Spouses is now focused on increasing the base rate for military dependency and indemnity compensation, which has not had a real-value increase since 1993. The tax-free monthly payments are provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to eligible survivors of military members and veterans who died from service-connected injuries and illnesses. Several bills pending in Congress would provide for higher compensation and bring the benefit level closer to other federal programs that support survivors, she said.

“I am challenging my brothers and sisters who’ve worn the uniform to please don’t just honor my husband. Honoring him means remembering us, too,” Hazelgrove said.

Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/history/2026-09-10/gold-star-spouse-army-veteran-9-11-22809847.html
Source - Stars and Stripes

THOMPSON, STEUBE, VARGAS, BERGMAN INTRODUCE BILL EXTENDING BENEFITS FOR MILITARY SURVIVORS | Representative Mike Thompson

THOMPSON, STEUBE, VARGAS, BERGMAN INTRODUCE BILL EXTENDING BENEFITS FOR MILITARY SURVIVORS

June 26, 2026

Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) introduced the Granting Rollover Access and Contribution Extensions (GRACE) for Military Survivors Act, legislation to extend the time period in which surviving family members of a military service member can make important financial decisions about their survivor benefits. Reps. Greg Steube (FL-17), Juan Vargas (CA-52), and Jack Bergman (MI-01) co-lead the bill. 

“Grieving military families have enough on their plates when they lose a loved one — they should not be forced to make urgent, consequential financial decisions on top of everything else. Ensuring families have the time they need to decide the best path forward just makes sense. Grateful to work with my colleagues to introduce this important legislation,” said Rep. Mike Thompson.  

“The families of our fallen service members have already sacrificed more than most Americans can imagine. The last thing they should have to worry about is financial deadlines while grieving the loss of a spouse, parent, or child,” said Rep. Greg Steube. “As a veteran, I understand the sacrifices made by military families, and they deserve to make thoughtful financial decisions without unnecessary pressure from the federal government.”

“When a service member dies in the line of duty, their families should never be forced to make urgent financial decisions while enduring the pain of immeasurable loss. They deserve time, flexibility, and grace,” said Rep. Juan Vargas. “I’m grateful to join my colleagues in introducing this critical legislation.”  

"When a servicemember makes the ultimate sacrifice, their family deserves our unwavering support - not unnecessary bureaucratic deadlines. Military families should have the time and flexibility to make important financial decisions without added pressure during one of the most difficult moments of their lives. I'm proud to support the GRACE for Military Survivors Act to ensure we honor their sacrifice by giving surviving loved ones the compassion and certainty they deserve,” said Rep. Jack Bergman. 

BACKGROUND 

When a service member dies in the line of duty, surviving families are forced to navigate immense grief while also making important financial decisions under compressed timelines. Current law allows surviving spouses and children to roll over military death gratuities and Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) benefits into certain tax-advantaged savings accounts, but only within one year of receiving the benefits. For many military families, that timeline is simply too short. This legislation would provide surviving military families with additional flexibility and time to make thoughtful long-term financial decisions.

The bill would:

• Extend from one year to three years the period in which military death gratuities and SGLI payments may be contributed to Roth IRAs and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts without penalty.
• Ensure military families are not penalized while grieving and adjusting to life after the loss of a service member.

The GRACE for Military Survivors Act was developed in conjunction with Gold Star Spouses of America. Reps. Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Pat Harrigan (R-NC), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), and Shri Thanedar (D-MI) are original cosponsors. 

The bill is endorsed by: American Legion, American Veterans (AMVETS), Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Gold Star Spouses of America, Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN), National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO), Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS), United Services Automobile Association (USAA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Veterans Survivor Coalition, Vietnam Veterans of America, and With Honor Action.

“Gold Star Spouses of America strongly supports the GRACE for Military Survivors Act. Surviving spouses are often advised not to make major financial decisions during the first year after the death of their loved one, a recommendation that can inadvertently cause families to miss opportunities to utilize military death benefits in tax-advantaged savings accounts. Extending the contribution period from one year to three years acknowledges the realities of grief and gives surviving families the time they need to make thoughtful financial decisions that strengthen their long-term financial security,” said Tamra Sipes, National President, Gold Star Spouses of America.

“Military families give more than most Americans will ever be asked to. When a service member passes, we should not ask surviving spouses and families to set aside their grief to focus on finances,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “This legislation is notable for what it is not—it is not partisan, costly, or controversial. It imposes no new federal spending, creates no new bureaucracy, and asks nothing of taxpayers. It simply removes an arbitrary constraint that punishes military survivors for taking the time they need to grieve. Keeping faith with military families means ensuring they are treated with dignity and compassion during life’s most difficult moments. With Honor Action enthusiastically endorses the GRACE for Military Survivors Act and appreciates For Country Caucus members Rep. Mike Thompson and Rep. Bergman for their strong commitment to honoring military families and those who served.”

“USAA is proud to support the GRACE for Military Survivors Act, which reflects both sound financial policy and compassion for military families. This bill gives military families the time and flexibility they need to make solid financial choices for the future, empowering them to achieve financial security.” said Maj. Gen. John Richardson, U.S. Army, Ret., USAA Senior Vice President, Head of Policy & Alliances.

“The current one-year deadline is often unrealistic for grieving military families navigating the emotional, financial, and logistical challenges that follow the loss of a loved one in service. The Veterans Survivor Coalition supports extending this window to three years gives survivors the time and flexibility they deserve to plan for their family’s future,” said the Veterans Survivor Coalition. 

The full text of the bill can be found here.

 

Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Oversight Hearing "Examining VA Benefits: Pension and Fiduciary, and VA Life Insurance Options”  Tuesday, April 21, 2026 |  1:15 PMLocation: 360 Cannon House Office Building | Kathleen McCarthy Subcommittees: Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs

Gold Star Spouses  begins at 1:28.  Information in entire testimony contains references to Surviving Spouses. 

Fox 5 News DC- Interview with Tamra Sipes

https://www.fox5dc.com/video/fmc-ooj6hlb1f8yq6f9x?fbclid=IwY2xjawRUsKNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeYFRuRsybBkdEPGgQribVaLLrUej0Xj4cplLmr3vlFARiTpbC7dqEWL8BpvI_aem_M1-E2B4zaUFERlRcO4vfpQ

Tamra Sipes, President of Gold Star Spouses of America, joined Good Day DC to share what it means to be a Gold Star spouse—the surviving husband or wife of a U.S. service member who died while serving our country. This week, the organization is on Capitol Hill advocating for surviving families and ensuring their sacrifices are honored through action and policy.

Posted April 21, 2026 3:03pm EDT

Military.com | By Haley Fuller

Published April 18, 2026 at 4:15pm ET

There exists a persistent gap in how the federal government supports surviving military families, according to Tamra Sipes, national president of Gold Star Spouses of America, who spoke to Military.com ahead of a major advocacy effort in Washington and, more specifically, Capitol Hill.

Sipes is leading a delegation of roughly 40-50 surviving spouses and family members to the nation's capital, where they will meet directly with lawmakers to advocate for changes to survivor benefits—particularly Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), or the primary monthly benefit paid to families of service members who die in the line of duty.

“We’re going to advocate for improving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, which affects every one of us,” Sipes said, emphasizing that the issue is central to the organization’s work. 

At the core of their argument is a disparity between military survivor benefits and those provided to other federal families. Sipes explained that surviving spouses of federal civilian employees can receive about 55% of compensation, while military surviving spouses receive closer to 43%.

That difference, she said, has real consequences for families trying to rebuild their lives.

“In real life, it’s about $450 or more a month,” she said, noting that the structure of DIC has not been meaningfully updated since 1993 beyond routine cost-of-living adjustments. 

Legislation Behind the Advocacy

The group’s Capitol Hill meetings will focus on several pieces of legislation designed to address these gaps.

The most comprehensive proposal is the Caring for Survivors Act, which would increase DIC payments to better align military survivor benefits with those provided to federal civilian employees. Sipes described this measure as the clearest path to achieving parity between the two systems. 

Alongside that effort, the organization is supporting H.R. 6047, known as the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Improvement Act, which is a broader package that increases Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for surviving families while also raising Special Monthly Compensation for veterans with severe service-connected disabilities.

It includes additional financial support for veterans requiring aid and attendance and makes changes to VA home loan fee rules that help fund those benefit increases. The bill carries personal significance for the families involved.

Sipes noted that Sharri Briley lost her husband during the 1993 Black Hawk Down mission and will be present on Capitol Hill as part of the advocacy effort.

A third priority, the Love Lives On Act, addresses remarriage restrictions that currently prevent surviving spouses from retaining benefits if they remarry before age 55. Advocates argue the policy forces younger widows and widowers, who are often raising children, to choose between financial stability and moving forward with their lives. 

What Advocacy on Capitol Hill Looks Like

The advocacy effort is scheduled to occur Tuesday, April 21, when participants will spend the day meeting with lawmakers and congressional staff.

Sipes described a structured but demanding schedule, with small groups moving from office to office across Capitol Hill, often spending 15-20 minutes in each meeting.

“We try to cover every single office on Capitol Hill,” she said, explaining that participants also conduct drop-in visits between scheduled meetings to reach as many offices as possible. 

Sipes said the experience serves as both advocacy and education, helping families understand that programs like DIC are determined by Congress. “It’s an education process,” she said, noting that lawmakers are often equally unaware of the disparity until it is explained directly. 

Original Article Link with photos: Gold Star Spouses Take on Capitol Hill, Push Congress For Survivor Benefits | Military.com

April 10, 2026 | By David Vergun, Pentagon News 

Finally this week, the department observed Gold Star Spouses Day on April 5.

The term gold star dates back to World War I and the first service flag. Robert L. Queissner, who had served in the Ohio National Guard, hung the first blue star banner in his window in 1917 in honor of his two sons fighting in Europe.

Other families began displaying star banners, with a blue star for each child in active military service. If a service member was killed in action or died from injuries, a gold star replaced the blue one, signifying the family's sacrifice. These families became known as Gold Star Families.

Gold Star Spouses Day is observed annually on April 5 to honor the surviving spouses of military service members who have died in the line of duty.

"We recognize the profound sacrifices made by the surviving spouses of our fallen heroes. Your unwavering strength and remarkable resilience continue to inspire us all. Today and always, we stand with you in solemn remembrance and deep gratitude," Podleski said.

News: Epic Fury Quelled for Now, Objectives Accomplished, U.S. Forces Remain Ready

Original Link:  https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4456466/this-week-in-dow-iran-ceasefire-daring-rescue-honoring-gold-star-spouses/

Story by Airman 1st Class Isabel Tanner 

1st Special Operations Wing  

The Military and Family Readiness Center created “Portraits of Service, Stories of Love,” a memorial display, to commemorate Gold Star Spouse’s Day at Hurlburt Field, Florida, March 30 to April 10, 2026.

The display of photographs and personal tributes from local Gold Star spouses, located in the M&FRC lobby, provides a space for service members to reflect on the enduring impact of loss and the strength of those left behind.

“Our intent is to create a meaningful way to keep their loved one's memories alive,” said an M&FRC community readiness consultant specializing in Air Force Families Forever.

One Gold Star spouse, Holly Loftis, spoke about her husband, Darin.

“Darin was a great dad to our two daughters and a wonderful husband,” said Loftis. “He could talk to anyone of any background and come away from the conversation having learned from them and having gained a friend. I will conclude with his own words that he wrote in a letter to our daughters. I think they also summarize his own life. ‘Make your way in life in such a manner that you don’t wonder what could have been, how you might have done, or how your talents might have unfolded.’”

Gold Star Spouse’s Day, April 5, originated during World War I when families would display flags with a blue star for each member serving. If the member died, the blue star was replaced with a gold one to showcase their ultimate sacrifice for their country.

“It’s easy to get wrapped up in our day-to-day lives as service members, so remembering those before us who made a significant impact is very important,” said another community readiness consultant.

However, Gold Star family support continues beyond the annual observance day through the Air Force Families Forever program, which connects surviving family members to the Air Force community. Through ongoing outreach, resources and personal engagement, the program reinforces the Air Force’s commitment to caring for families.

“Resilience is a major focus in the military, and that’s exactly what Gold Star spouses and families embody,” said the community readiness consultant. “This is not a path they planned for, but one they were forced to navigate, and it takes incredible strength. I hope those who see this reflect on their resilience and remember these families are still an important part of our Air and Space Force family.”

Read More: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/561969/hurlburt-recognizes-gold-star-spouses-day-with-portraits-service-stories-love

Each year on April 5, Gold Star Spouses Day, our nation honors the sacrifice, strength and resilience of the surviving spouses of fallen military service members. At VA, that recognition also means making sure surviving spouses know about the many benefits available to help them rebuild their lives.  

Surviving spouses may be eligible for a variety of VA benefits based on their late spouse’s service. 

Read More: https://news.va.gov/146027/gold-star-spouse-va-benefits/