By Steven Spencer
Jerseyville City Council approved a proclamation designating September 28 as Gold Star Mother and Family Day.
Each year, Gold Star Mothers and Families Day honors and recognizes the mothers and family members who have lost loved ones while they were serving in the military.
This year’s ceremony will take place at the Jersey County Courthouse, and the council approved a request to close a portion of West Pearl Street from Lafayette to Washington and Washington from West Exchange to West Pearl from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. to facilitate the ceremony.
Gold Star Mother and Family dates back to World War I, when family members would wear armbands with a star on them to represent a loved one lost in the war.
The last Sunday in September was officially designated as Gold Star Mothers’ Day in 1936, and was later amended to include families as well as mothers.
Each year, the Marine Cops League Robert Wendle Detachment hosts the ceremony in Jerseyville on Gold Star Mother and Family Day to honor their own sacrifices.
