During the 2016 presidential election, Khizr Khan brought Gold Star Fathers to the forefront as he eloquently spoke at the Democratic National Convention in defense of his son, Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. Khan’s words helped familiarize Americans with what it means to lose a child as a casualty of war or as a result of war. That same year I had a passionate conversation with Arthur Hughes, one of my constituents, about Gold Star Fathers.
During the 2016 presidential election, Khizr Khan brought Gold Star Fathers to the forefront as he eloquently spoke at the Democratic National Convention in defense of his son, Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. Khan’s words helped familiarize Americans with what it means to lose a child as a casualty of war or as a result of war.
That same year I had a passionate conversation with Arthur Hughes, one of my constituents, about Gold Star Fathers. I learned that Gold Star Mothers was founded by Grace Darling Seibold after her son, George Vaughn Seibold, was killed in action during World War I. This organization served to comfort mothers who lost their children to war and care for hospitalized veterans. On June 23, 1936, “Gold Star Mother’s Day” was designated for national observance on the last Sunday in the month of September.
But what really struck me – there is currently no national observance day for Gold Star Fathers.
Our conversation helped me understand why it was important for them to have the same recognition. Arthur had already spent much time contacting our Congressman, trying to make this happen, so I suggested that we start at the state level.
“When I began advocating for Gold Star Fathers, I thought I was helping Arthur achieve a longtime goal. I decided to reach out and conversate with Gold Star Fathers directly, who let me know what they expected. They didn’t want the day to be combined with Veterans Day. It needed to be a day just about the fathers. There were many compelling reasons for this. But when one father shared that this recognition event created space for him to honor his son after a difficult divorce, I knew we had to find a path forward.
Over the years I have gotten to know several of these fathers personally. This movement is now a labor of love to make sure that all Gold Star Fathers across the United States have the opportunity to be honored because fathers grieve differently and need a day that belongs to them.
The date, Nov. 9, was selected because it coincides with the U.S. Marine Corps’ birthday and Veterans Day. This allows Georgians a unique opportunity to dedicate consecutive days to honor military service on a yearly basis.
During the 2017 Legislative Session, I drafted Resolution 723 to honor Gold Star Fathers across the state of Georgia for the first time ever. The resolution passed the Georgia House of Representatives.
- Your Words