Feature Article on Gold Star Mothers.
TOPIC: WAR, WOMEN, ORGANIZATION, LANDMARKS
Written by Rich Wallace in
October, 1999
OLD GOLD STAR BRIDGE HELD MANY MEMORIES |
The local chapter of
the Gold Star Mothers formed in the early 1930s. The photo above is believed to have
been taken in the 1930s or early 1940s. The members are (L-R/seated): Mrs. John
Sherman, Mrs. Godfrey Kah and Mrs. Julia Heiland; (standing) Mrs. Anna Nettleship, Mrs.
D.W. (Minnie) Williams, Mrs. Walter Pence, Mrs. Richard Hayner, and |
A few motorists heading south of Sidney on County Road 25 A take the suggested detour across the Great Miami River past the jail, but most elect to continue southward and go up Sulphur Heights Hill, bypassing the rapidly concluding construction project that will result in a new bridge over the river. To most the site is but another construction nuisance to be left in the rearview mirror, amid a cloud of dust. Few realize that the ceremony marking the opening of the original bridge in 1933 caused over 5,000 people to march from downtown Sidney there to pay tribute to a group that always pays the ultimate sacrifice in wartime, but is now largely forgotten: the Gold Star Mothers. Many will remember this Veterans' Day on November 11 at the bridge, when the new structure is rededicated, and the surviving Gold Star Mothers recognized. This is the story of the Mothers and how the bridge came to bear their name. When the battlefield sounds of The World War (as World War I was then known) faded away, numerous veterans groups such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars were organized to commemorate the memory of those who had died in the great conflict. Formed of those who survived, these groups honored their comrades in arms routinely on such occasions as Memorial Day and Armistice Day. The healing process for them had begun. For another group, the broken hearts would never heal. [ Back ] [ Next ] [ Up ] [ New Search ] |
