Gold Star Families To Be Honored on June 29

On Saturday, June 29th, there will be a special ceremony at the Trafton Park Rest Stop on Highway 2 in Malta.

Members of the Malta Dirt Daubers Garden Club will host a program to honor Gold Star Families, those that have lost a loved one serving in the armed forces.

There are two Stars that are recognized by both the National Garden Club and the US military, those being Gold Star Families and Blue Star Families.

The Blue Star recognizes families with a loved one serving in the military, while the Gold Star recognizes those whose loved one died in action. The Malta Dirt Daubers Club put up a Blue Star Memorial at the Trafton Park Rest Stop previously on October 8, 2014. It is fitting and timely that the Gold Star Family Memorial marker should be erected now. The star offers hope, honor and healing.

Losing a loved one is never easy. Losing a loved one due to a tragic death, such as in a war, makes it even harder to bear. War never was the answer to any of the world issues. It tears families apart and leaves scars that never heal.

There have been far too many Gold Star families in our county. The local VFW and Auxiliary have long honored the Gold Star Mothers, and at this time, there are no Gold Star Mothers residing in the county, only Families. (Mellissa Sandvick, our last Gold Star Mother, recently moved.)

The Gold Star Family memorial will be starting at 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and everyone is invited to attend and be part of this service honoring special families. If anyone has questions, they can contact Terry Hotchkiss at 406-654-4747 or Toni Ziegler at 406-654-1187.

As stated, the public is invited to share in this event. Come spend some quality time with friends and family while paying honor to military families.