Nevada’s Gold Star Family’s Day Luminary Event Remembers and Honors Service and Sacrifice

Nevada’s Gold Star Families Foundation partnered with the Nevada Department of Veterans Services to host the 2021 Gold Star Luminary event at the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, located on the grounds of the Northern Nevada State Veterans Home in Sparks.

Major General Ondra L. Berry served as the keynote speaker. The event also honored Blue Star Mothers and paid tribute to the 12 fallen Marines and one sailor killed by suicide bombers in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 26, 2021.

Gold Star Family Day is a National Day of Recognition held on the third Sunday of September each year. This year, the recognition fell on September 26th. It recognizes the tremendous burden Gold Star Families bear due to the loss of a loved during service in the U.S. military. Lighting a luminary lets these families know they are recognized, honored and not alone.

This ceremony began at 6:00 PM. beneath the setting sun. Gold Star Family members and others lit battery-operated tea candles inside individual luminary bags that had been placed in front of the memorial. The glowing luminary bags provided a soft light against the black marble of the memorial.

Gold Star Mother’s Day was designated by a joint Congressional resolution in 1936. In recent years, it has evolved to be known as Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day. Each year since, the day has been observed by presidential proclamation.