What are blue Star families?

Blue Star Families was founded in 2009 by military spouses to strengthen and empower military and Veteran families to thrive as they serve.

What is a Blue Star family member?

This special flag, displayed only by military families, is where the phrase “Blue Star Family” comes from and refers to the immediate family members of an active duty service member. The Blue Star Family tradition is rich in history and dates back to World War I.

What are White Star families?

A White Star family is someone who loses a loved one who served in the military to suicide. Losing a family member to combat or suicide are both are incredibly tragic, but it's an important distinction.

What is the difference between Blue Star and gold Star families?

Each blue star on the flag represents a service member in active duty. A gold star is displayed if a service member is killed in action or dies in service. If several stars are displayed by one family the gold star takes the honor of being placed at the top.

How many Blue Star families are there?

With more than 150,000 members in our network, including in chapters and communities all over the world, we touch more than 1.5 million military family members every year.

A Sense of Belonging

What is a white star mother?

The traditional Gold Star Mothers and Families Day is the fourth Sunday in September. A White Star Family is one who had a close relative that served in the military, and lost them to suicide.

What are Gold Star family members?

Gold star families – spouses, children, parents, siblings or others whose loved one died in service to our nation – are a vital part of our country's military community and history.

What does a red star in a window mean?

The flag was designed to be displayed in the front window of peoples' homes, to indicate the number of family members serving the war effort as members of the Armed Services.

Who can hang a blue star flag?

Today, families display these banners when they have a loved one serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The blue star represents one family member serving, and a banner can have up to five stars. If the individual is killed or dies, a smaller golden star is placed over it.

What is a gold star parent?

gold star parent (plural gold star parents) (US military) the parent of a member of the U.S. armed forces who was killed in action.

What is Purple Heart in military?

Currently, the Purple Heart, per regulation is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services after April 5, 1917 has been wounded, killed, or has died after ...

What does a gold star on a ribbon mean?

Gold stars are worn with medals and ribbons issued by the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and United States Air Force to indicate the second and subsequent awards of a particular medal.

What is gold Star spouses Day?

April 5 is recognized as Gold Star Spouses Day, a day dedicated to those whose spouses sacrificed their lives while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States or as a result of service-related disabilities after returning home.

What is a gold star son?

A Gold Star Family is the immediate family member(s) of a fallen service member who died while serving in a time of conflict.

What is a gold star Dad?

Gold Star Dads of America. Provides a support organization to help dads heal from losing a son or daughter while serving in the military. Gold Star Dads also provides public awareness of America's Gold Star family community and celebrates and honors America's combat Veterans and their families. 951-833-2935.

How do you become a Blue Star family?

What Makes A Blue Star Family? Not every military family is a Blue Star family. That is because those authorized to fly the Blue Star flag are those who have immediate family members who serve in the military during a time of conflict.

What are red star families?

Gold crosses set inside a blue star signified that a family member was wounded. A red star represented a captured or missing member.

What does a black backwards American flag mean?

Basically, the idea behind the backward American flag on Army uniforms is to make it look as though the flag is flying in the breeze as the person wearing it moves forward. During the Civil War, both mounted cavalry and infantry units would designate a standard bearer, who carried the flag into battle.

What do Blue Star Mothers do?

We are mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, foster mothers and female legal guardians who have children serving in the military, guard or reserves, or children who are veterans. We support each other and our children while promoting patriotism.

What does a 5 point star on a house mean?

The five-point star was originally used as a symbol of good luck for farmers. Their origins can be traced back to rural Pennsylvania and Canada, and they've resurfaced with the popularity of the distressed, barn-decor trend.

What does a white star symbolize?

The symbolism of the Lone Star is independence and was used often during the 19th Century in the southern United States. Its blue field represented truth upon which was placed a single white star, representing purity.

When a veteran dies Is there a death benefit?

Service-related Death

VA will pay up to $2,000 toward burial expenses for deaths on or after September 11, 2001, or up to $1,500 for deaths prior to September 11, 2001. If the Veteran is buried in a VA national cemetery, some or all of the cost of transporting the deceased may be reimbursed.

What benefits does a military widow lose if she remarries?

Unless you remarry another military retiree, all other military benefits stop during the remarriage (TRICARE and ID card-related). If the remarriage ends, ID card-related benefits will return, but TRICARE benefits are lost forever. If you have remarried a military retiree, all of these benefits will continue.

Does the family get money when a soldier dies?

The death gratuity program provides for a special tax free payment of $100,000 to eligible survivors of members of the Armed Forces, who die while on active duty or while serving in certain reserve statuses. The death gratuity is the same regardless of the cause of death.

Who started Gold Star families?

Individual military family members who lost a loved one also started to be referred to as “Gold Star Wives,” “Gold Star Mothers,” etc. In 1928, Grace Darling, a Gold Star Mother, took this then-informal designation one step further and founded American Gold Star Mothers along with a group of 25 other grieving mothers.