VFW Post 2438 Commander Don Wells and Donna Younger show one of the quilts crafted for the Gold Star Mothers.

Gold Star Mothers Honored
By Jonnie Montalbo

The VFW Post 2438 and Ladies Auxiliary hosted an event honoring Matagorda County's Gold Star Mothers during a special ceremony Sunday, Sept. 27, at the VFW Hall.

Gold Star Mothers are mothers whose sons and daughters served and died in the line of duty in the Armed Forces of the United States of America or its allies, or who died as a result of injuries sustained in service.

Gold Star honorees recognized during the ceremony were Penny Carson, Lois Winfrey, Amelia Aguilar, Patricia "Pattie" Lyles Ward, June McCormick, Barbara Holloway, Michele Hoyt, Patsy Maciel and Tracy Rodriguez.

Bay City Mayor Mark Bricker gave the welcoming address and introduction and presented the ladies with a Gold Star Mothers Proclamation.

District Attorney for Matagorda County, Steven Reis, shared words of encouragement and offered his gratitude for the ultimate sacrifices as the guest speaker during the event.

"I'm put in mind of Abraham at this time who took his son up on the mountain and was willing to sacrifice his life; now I don't for a moment believe that Abraham wanted his son to die, but he was willing to place his son in that position as you ladies did," said Reis.

"That willingness to place them in a situation that they may, is what has made this country what it is today and that flag burner does not understand that, but you do. Thank you ladies," said Reis.

Special pens were given to the mothers from the state VFW commander as well as a hand-crafted quilt, specifically crafted for the mothers by the Quilt Guild.

Donna Younger made the presentation of the special Quilts of Honor along with her quilting group "The Psycho Quilters"--Julia Zimmerman, Ginger Morgan, Barbara Foote and Pat Ratliff.

"We want to wrap you with love from us to you and so we have quilts for you, so when you wrap yourself up, when you get weak in your moments, grab that quilt and know that there's a lot of ladies that prayed for you all and that we continue to pray for you daily," said Younger.

Since 1936, the last Sunday in September has been designated as Gold Star Mother's Day.

Many people do not know what sacrifices are involved when a military Mom pins on her gold star.

She must bear the pain and agony of losing a son or daughter who was serving in the armed forces of the United States.

Families who have a son or daughter on active duty in the military place a service flag in their window to show their pride.

The flag is whit with a red border and has a blue star or stars if more than one family member is in service.

When a family member is killed or dies in service, the blue star is covered with a gold star.

This is where the name Gold Star Mother is derived.

Bay City Tribune, September 30, 2015

Matagorda County Cavalry recently honored Gold Star Mothers, shown in special quilts made by the Quilt Guild.
Photo courtesy of Peggy DeLancey