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BLUE STAR MOTHERS OF AMERICA, INC. MAY 2020

Contact Information for

National Executive Board

President:

Carla Brodacki ~ MI

president@bluestarmothers.us

1st VP: Stacy Anders ~ CA

1vp@bluestarmothers.us

2nd VP: Paula Lombardo ~ OH

2vp@bluestarmothers.us

3rd VP: Teri Reece ~ VA

3vp@bluestarmothers.us

4th VP: Kathleen Fowl ~ TX

4vp@bluestarmothers.us

Recording Secretary:

Rebecca Stafford ~ MO

recsec@bluestarmothers.us

Financial Secretary:

Genevieve Schindler ~ CA

Finsec@bluestarmothers.us

Treasurer: Diana Evans Vance ~ OH

treas@bluestarmothers.us

Index Page President’s Message 1

Index 1

VAVS Message 2-3

Treasurer – On-line store 4

3VP—Blue To Gold 5

2VP—Newsletter/Yearbook 6

Feature pages –BSM Strong 7-21

On-Line Store Special 22

This & That 23

Greetings Blue Star Mothers and Associate Members,

Our Organization is strong and continues to fulfill our Mission. The te-nacity of our moms and their continued spirit of service shine through this Pandemic. Our VA medical centers and hospitals may not have us there in person, but we continue to provide what is needed. Our mem-bers have donated oodles of hand-made masks and contributed need-ed monetary/comfort items. There are Veterans who would not be eating if not for a Blue Star Mothers’ food pantry. Another chapter has sent much needed love to the Deployed. Yet another, wearing masks and practicing social distancing, dropped off a check to Operation Shoe Box; from that same chapter, our Past National President Anne Parker and her Veteran husband Gordon honored and remembered our Fallen at their community’s memorial. Our National Third Vice President Teri Reece walked to Remember, all the while carrying our American flag and the Gold Star banner. National Guardsmen, standing watch over hospitalized inmates suffering from Covid-19, were provided Girl Scout cookies for their breaks. These are only a few of the instances where our members found a way to serve. It was fitting that the month of May was a month of continued respect and remembrance during diffi-cult times.

Our hearts go out to each and every one of our Gold Star Sisters, their families and their friends. We pray for them as we remember their sons and daughters and continue to speak their names.

I am proud to be a Blue Star Mother and your sister. Although we did-n’t have the traditional parades and events, Blue Star Mothers across America made it happen one way or another. Our mission is very im-portant and has continued through all of the uncertainty. Please con-tinue to reach out to each other. Have courage and be kind.

Much love, Carla Brodacki, National President

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VAVS

Anne Parker

I am hopeful that this message finds you well and continuing to explore new ways for using your time. You have likely heard a lot about plans to “Reopen the Country” and perhaps even about VA’s plan for return to operations, being called “Moving Forward Together”. Obviously, VHA’s first priority will be the safety of all patients and staff and getting our patient programs all operational and all services restored to their full capacity across the system. VA Voluntary Service is also preparing a reintegra-tion strategy for our volunteers. Some facilities are making some challenging decisions along these lines, all certainly dependent on local, state and re-gional COVID-19 infection rates and CDC Guid-ance. This certainly doesn’t make it any easier for VAVS to have a standard operational plan, so we’re putting together some guidance for facilities to be sure that they factor in a few key considerations when making their decisions to include:

Essential assignments

Physical distancing

Necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) if working in certain areas

COVID-19 screening

Availability of staff to supervise volunteers

Existing health of volunteers, particularly those in COVID-19 “high-risk” categories

Retraining in our new environment The list goes on….but what you should know and understand is that our recommendations will be fo-cused on SAFETY FIRST. Many of our volunteers are eager to get back and others are a little reluc-tant, not knowing just how things will be. Here’s what we know for sure---each of these feel-ings and all those in between are valid and val-ued. As we continue to navigate in this COVID-19 environment and look forward to the Post-COVID-19 activities, we have to keep in mind that there are still a lot of unknowns but one thing is cer-tain. THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT. Here are some things we want you to know and share with your members: 1. We will suspend the 2020 onsite Summer

Youth Volunteer Program this year. What that means is that we will not have youth under the

age of 18 volunteering in our facilities, at any phase of the reintegration.

2. We will be expanding virtual capacity for vol-unteers, including youth—meaning assignments done in the community, online, or at home.

3. Each VA facility will be operating a little dif-ferently under the circumstances, so please pre-pare your representatives for possible extreme variability across VHA.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Please help your teams prepare for change. When we embarked on this COVID-19 response we had no time to prepare. We do, now. We need to be ready for anything, remain flexible and broaden our thinking to include ideas and thoughts that we would have dismissed be-fore. 2. Consider how you and your organization might embrace virtual volunteering opportuni-ties and propose these to your local VAVS of-fices.

3. Embrace technology---start learning every-thing you can about SKYPE, ZOOM, Facebook LIVE, etc. so that you’re not left out of communi-cations. These will be platforms that must be-come a “standard” way of communicating and no longer the exception. Phone calls will become antiquated soon….if they haven’t already.

4. Become actively involved in the Whole Health programs once we launch them. Our office of Whole Health is excited to plan for some activities specifically for volunteers. They can on-ly be successful if they’re attended, so simply knowing they’re available does no good. It’s like having a treadmill and not using it it…. (please tell me you can relate)

Thank you for all you do!

Anne Parker

National VAVS Representative

Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc

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More News From

VAVS!!!

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NATIONAL TREASURER

Diana Vance

A Note to Chapter Financial Officers

Listed below are the chapters to which membership reimbursement checks were sent at the end of April. If you have not received your chapter’s check, please contact the National Treasurer at treas@bluestarmothers.us immediately. Additionally, if you have not already deposited your chapter’s check, please do so within the next two weeks. AL2 CA14 CO1 GA1 IN1 MA1 NC4 NM1 NY8 PA9 SC1 TX4 VA4 AZ4 CA20 CO7 IN3 MA2 NC6 NM2 NY12 PA12 SC4 TX6 VA5 AZ7 CA22 CO8 IA1 IN8 MA3 NM4 NY13 PA14 SC8 TX11 CA24 IN14 NE2 PA16 SC124 TX12 WA7 CA1 CA25 CT3 ID3 MD3 NV3 OK1 PA201 TX13 CA4 CA27 CT5 KS5 NH1 NV4 OK5 PA202 TN1 TX14 WI2 CA5 CA30 IL1 MO4 OK8 PA203 TN4 WI3 CA7 CA36 FL3 IL6 LA1 MO5 NJ1 NY1 OK10 TN6 UT1 CA9 CA37 FL7 LA6 MO6 NJ5 NY2 OK18 RI1 CA10 FL9 LA8 NY6 OK19 TX1 VA1 FL11 NY7 OK20 TX2 VA2 Also, if your chapter changes its mailing address, please notify the National Financial Secretary at finsec@bluestarmothers.us or the National Treasurer at treas@bluestarmothers.us Keeping your mailing address current is vital if we are to provide you with these checks in a timely manner and avoid lost checks.

A NOTE FROM YOUR NATIONAL TREASURER…

A huge THANK YOU to all those chapter financial officers and presidents who have helped clear up the uncashed check backlog – we have cleared over half of the list. Also, thank you to the same officers for depositing the most current batch of membership reim-bursement checks. When checks are deposited in a timely manner, it allows us to confirm that chapters have re-ceived the funds to which they are enti-tled.

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NATIONAL 3RD VP

Teri Reece— Blue to Gold Liason

Respectfully,

Teri R. Reece

National 3rd

Vice President

BLUE TO GOLD PROGRAM

DoD CASUALTY NOTIFICATIONS It is with great sorrow to report that the DoD has announced the following Casualty Notifications: Sgt. Christopher Wesley Curry, 23, from Terre Haute, Indiana, died May 4, 2020 in Erbil, Iraq, from a non-combat-related incident. 1

st Lt. Trevarius Ravon Bowman, 25, from Spartanburg, South Carolina, died May 19, 2020, in Bagram Air

Force Base, Afghanistan, from a non-combat-related incident.

GOLD STAR MOTHERS 2020 YEARBOOK PHOTOS OF YOUR CHILD BSMA, Inc. Gold Star Mothers, I am working on the pages to Honor your Son or Daughter in the BSMA, Inc. 2020 Yearbook. If you have previously remitted photos, I am using the photos you previously submitted, photos in previous Yearbooks, or from your FaceBook page as you and I being friends on FaceBook, but, if you would like me to use different photo(s), please send up to 5 photos. If we don’t have photos of your fallen Heroes, please send up to five (5) photos for us to use. Please put in the subject line of your email: “Gold Star Mother Photos” and in the body of your email, please make sure you put your name, your Chapter number, your child’s Rank, your child’s name, your child’s date of birth and date of loss, and up to five (5) photos for us to use. Please email to: yearbook@bluestarmothers.us

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NATIONAL 2VP

Paula Lombardo –Newsletter & Yearbook

BLUE STAR STRONG EVEN IN THE MOST ADVERSE CONDITIONS

Newsletter this month & next will feature individuals and chapters, that

are Blue Star Strong NEW YEARBOOK DEADLINE for submissions is June 30th

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if your have any questions.

TAKE CARE & STAY SAFE!!

NEWSLETTER

There have been so many wonderful stories and actions

of how we’re still supporting our mission during this

Covid-19 quarantine that we wanted to feature and

share what many individuals and chapters have been

able to do. I have had some information sent to me

and I have also stalked your Facebook pages for a few

pictures and information.

For the record… stalking FaceBook, isn’t really some-

thing that I have a lot of time to do…so if I missed you

or your chapter doing something to support our mis-

sion… PLEASE SEND IT IN FOR THE NEXT NEWSLETTER!!

I will also use as much of this information as I can, for

the yearbook.

I would also like to stress that we understand that be-

cause of area quarantines and restrictions not everyone

may have had the same opportunities. However, now

that some restrictions have been lifted if you are able to

start working on our mission again… please send it in!

Nothing you do is to small!

Plus, if you just wish to share something positive or neg-

ative that came out of being quarantined while at

home...just send me a note .

PLEASE SEND NEWSLETTER ARTICLES TO :

2VP@BLUESTARMOTHERS.US

YEARBOOK

As mentioned in last months newsletter, there will be a

2019-2020 BSM Yearbook. Our yearbooks are “history”

in the making. They provide future generations a glimpse

into the world of Blue Star Mothers for that specific

year.

This year challenged us all with a monumental event—

Covid–19; it took over the world and our lives. Most im-

portantly, even with many cancelled events, fundraisers,

packings, etc… we stayed strong...BLUE STAR STRONG.

We need to capture this for all posterity.

Now that we are starting to come out of quarantine, we

have extended the deadline for submissions until June

30th.

We are hoping you will use this extra time for sharing

what you have been able to do to support our mission

during and post quarantine. , which will be place in a fea-

ture section, along with Chapters in Action. After all,

we’re Blue Star Strong—Even In The Most Adverse Con-

ditions.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE PICTURES… that’s okay too! Just send info with what you’ve been doing. I can make it look pretty. P.S. Details on how to order a yearbook are on last page of newsletter under This and That section. PLEASE SEND YEARBOOK PICS TO: YEARBOOK@BLUESTARMOTHERS.US

Paula Lombardo National 2VP Cell: 614-827-5362

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As I mentioned previously, there have been many wonderful stories and pictures regarding the actions and deeds of many BSM members during this incredible world and life changing event that began on approxi-mately March 17, 2020.

DISCLAIMER: By no means is it looked at negatively if you were not able to go out of quarantine conditions or your region had much stricter rules enforcing quarantine, or you just weren’t in a position to be able to do anything at this time..… no one is judging. “We’re all in this together”.

But for those that could...we wanted to share on the next few pages the resiliency of some of our fellow sis-ters and what they’ve been up to . If you have something to share PLEASE send it in for the next newsletter!

*** (resilience noun : — an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change)

VA DONATIONS FROM CHAPTERS DURING COVID

Albuquerque, NM $255 of sweatshirts and $150 personal care items

Ann Arbor, MI - 48 masks

Charleston, SC - toiletries and snacks to local clinic in Myrtle Beach

Cincinnati, OH- $385 fresh fruit

Cleveland , OH- $250 recreational supplies

Coatesville, PA - $985 snacks & hygiene supplies, 75 masks

Columbus OH - 140 masks

Dayton, OH $1047.92 gift cards and art supplies

Erie, PA - $500 Walmart gift card

Gainesville, FL - 175 masks

Livermore, CA - $300 cash donation

New Orleans, LA - $10 snacks for CBOC

Northampton, MA - 55 masks

Palo Alto, CA - $500 cash and $150 inkind donations

Phoenix, AZ - $6710.50 - hygiene packs, socks, blankets

Mather, CA - 186 masks, and hygiene donations valued at $2155

San Diego, CA - 100 masks and $500

Tampa, FL - $106 recreational supplies

Minneapolis, MN - 89 masks

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NY1 Blue Star Mothers

New York 1 has been keeping tabs on our Veterans since late March. We check in with our Veterans in the outlying areas of Ontario County, Wayne County, etc. , by making weekly calls to get updates and just to listen to them and to talk to them. If they are in need we try to steer help their way. We deliver food and personal products to Liberty Village and Cadence Square, which are apartment dwell-ings for Veterans. We know a retired Air Force Veteran who is now a chef at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. He also lives at Liberty Village and we supply him with food and supplies to put on a group dinner at least once a month. This helps the other Veterans to know they are being looked after too. Last week they had Shepherds Pie, green beans and homemade raspberry pie and the next scheduled meal will be a full turkey dinner for them on Memorial Day. The retired Air Force Veteran keeps us up to date on what is needed. One of our Moms is a retired Psych. Nurse from the VA Medical Center. She worked the Crisis Hotline from its inception for 8 years. She checks in on our fragile Veterans because they all know her. She finds out what they need. Along with the efforts of a retired Army Veteran, she was instrumental in helping one of our female Veterans to enter the Syracuse VA Medical Center for the specialized help she needed. One of our NY members lives in Kansas. She watches over the Veterans in her retirement building and keeps their spirits up. Our Veterans are precious to us so we are doing our best, here in the Finger Lakes of Western New York, to take care of them.

Care Package arrived!!!

CO 8 Western Slope BSM

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Rochester NY8 Blue Star Mothers

Although we have been sheltering in place for months now, we are still going strong. This month we host-ed a virtual Red Cross Workshop – Coping With Deployment. We are planning a second virtual workshop on Stress Management in the coming weeks. We are still hosting our monthly business meetings on the Zoom platform. We have hosted a fun BINGO nite on Zoom as well for mothers to “socialize”.

We are also involved in a book club that again meets virtually. The book we are reading is “The Impossi-ble Knife of Memory” by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Our Chapter President, Angie Shullek, was able to help host a Zoom Navy Chief Retirement Party. Over 60 Navy Chiefs from across the globe were able to attend and celebrate the retirement after 24 years of Chief Aldridge.

Moms have made facemasks for our local hospital and we continue to fulfill our mission in these trying

Mask made by NY8 as fundraiser

FL 10

Ocala chapter makes masks for Gainsville VA

Ocala Blue Star Mothers presenting a check to Operation Showbox.

NY8

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Department of Minnesota President’s Newsletter Article May 2020

Happy Spring! I am so glad that the temperatures outside are starting to warm up, the trees are budding out and flowers & vegetables are starting to grow!

As we all know – the past few months have brought many changes. Changes to the way we work – or do not, the way our children attend school - virtually, the way we worship, the way we shop, and how we so-cialize – by not! We have new wardrobe items – gloves and masks are now standard attire and will be for a while.

We have gained a new respect for hugs, a touch, a kiss, and most cannot wait to be able to participate again. Our elderly look forward to visits through glass and so do we. While a good deal of this is ex-ceedingly difficult for all of us – it has also brought out the absolute best in a lot of people. Some are shopping and picking up supplies for those who cannot risk going out, some are writing letters and mak-ing phone calls, and some have become expert mask makers!

I am hoping that you and your families are well and safe, and I hope that we will be able to get back to doing what we do best – taking care of our families, our Active Duty, Veterans and also each other very soon! We are Blue Star Strong, and we will get through this together.

Have a wonderful month! Respectfully,

Lucie L. Cutts President, Department of Minnesota

North Metro, MN7

Jennifer Swedberg from MN Chapter 7 (our resident seamstress and crafter ex-traordinaire) made 89 masks and delivered them to the Ramsey VA Clinic. They were in need of masks for the veterans and she rose to the occasion. She states that she plans to do some more. We are proud and honored to have Jennifer and her talents in our chapter.

Other chapter members are working on masks for the Minneapolis VA Hospital too.

There were BSM chapter members that gave blood in their areas

Many BSM Chapter members made sure they continuously checked in on others in their chapters during the quarantine

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BSM Chapter VA4 – Fredericksburg, Virginia The State of Virginia has had a “Stay at Home” Order in effect until June 10, 2020, prohibiting our Chapter from any events and meetings. We held our first Chapter Membership Meeting via Zoom, where we had 19 Members and Associates attend. We continue our Secret Sisters Project, but are paying extra special attention to our Sisters and Associate Members during this time of quarantine. In our Secret Sisters Project, Members & Associate Members that wish to participate fill out a form, then a form is picked by each participant and you are then your Se-cret Sister for the fiscal year. Below is our Form in the event your Chapter wishes to adopt the Secret Sis-ters Project. It is a lot of fun and a great way to get to know your Members and Associate Members bet-ter. We were gracious enough to obtain a donation of 750 toothbrushes, toothpastes and dental floss from Quality Dental, a local dentist for our care packages. This was arranged before our quarantine began, but using masks, we were able to pick up the generous donation. We extend our best wishes to each of you for your continued wellbeing.

“Secret Sister” is back! Please fill out this questionnaire if you would like to participate. This is a wonderful way to help support and get to know your fellow Blue Star Sister. The questions are designed to help get to know your “Sister” better. The answers could be used for gift ideas if you would like to get your “Sister” a gift for her birthday or special occa-sion. We ask that you somehow contact your “Sister” each month. This can be as simple as writing a note or card. There will be a collection box at the monthly meetings and “mail” will be distributed at end of each meeting. You can also send your note thru the mail if you’d like.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Name _________________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________________ Birthday ___________ Anniversary _____________ Husband’s name _______________ Special Day _______________ Why? _________________________________________ Children (names & ages of all children; if serving/served, which branch) _______________ ________________________________________________________________________ Do you have grandchildren? Yes No _________________________________________ Do you own pets? Yes No _________________________________________________ Few of my favorite things Color(s) ___________ Flower(s) ______________________ Time of Year/Holiday ________________________________________________________ Type of Music/Artist__________________________________________________________ Food/Restaurant ____________________________________________________________ Do you like to read? Favorite Author or Magazine __________________________________ Hobbies ___________________________________________________________________ Home Décor/Theme/Collectibles ________________________________________________ What would you like your Secret Sister to know about you? ___________________________

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VA4 Members showing support in downtown Fredericksburg on Memorial Day.

Teri Reece usually spends Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. She's a member of Blue Star Mothers of Fredericksburg and the National Third Vice-President of Blue Star Mother's of America. This year she walked to remember in downtown Fredericksburg.

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LA 1 Janet Broussard We gathered with our friends on zoom

We celebrated holi-days with social dis-tancing

We celebrated Easter alone, sidewalk

Anne Parker and her favorite veteran at the Air Force wreath at the On Top of the World veterans park.

May we never forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

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OH9 Buckeye Military Moms

Honor Cords for graduates that have made commitment to Military Service Face Masks for the VA Clinic Cookies for National Guard placed in hospital Virtual meetings Notes and letters for We Care packages

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Mid-Cal BSM CA 39

They collected Girl Scout

cookies

Held meeting via Zoom

Houses became care packag-

ing storage supply areas

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Chicagoland Blue Star Mothers

Facilitated letter writing campaign for service members

Held chapter meetings via Zoom

Honored via Zoom 100th birthday of WWII VETERAN

Lissa Haynes, from Spencer MA, current Financial Secretary and founding Mother of BSM MA Chapter 3, Central MA places flags for Memorial Day in Hope Ceme-tery, Worcester MA on May 20, 2020.

Even during this pandemic we won’t be stopped from remembering our military heroes!

BSM MA Chapter 3

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PA9

Lots of snacks for the VA

Memorial Day Wreath

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Ohio Chapter 57 is one of the oldest Blue Star Mother chapters in the state of Ohio, chartered in 1943. We are well known for our support veterans at the Louis Stokes VA hospital in Cleve-land, Ohio.

It was during the Covid 19 virus shutdown that we were trying to find ways to continue to help the veterans even closer to home in our community, that’s when our member Amy Hutchinson joined the VFW Riders of Post #6846. They had been volunteering at the local Feed Our Vets food bank in Ashtabula County.

It was brought to our attention that with the virus Veterans would no longer be able to enter the food pantry to select items they needed. Rules were put in place to keep everyone safe, but those rules also limited how we could help to pass out food for those in need.

With a call from the VFW Riders #6846 Amy Hutchinson, 1’st Vice President with Ohio 57 and also Depart-ment of Ohio Treasurer began to volunteer to help pack food boxes at the Feed Our Vets Food Pantry along with the VFW Riders. For the past 3 months they packed boxes of food for the veterans on a Friday and the boxes were loaded into the Veterans cars as they “drove through” on Saturday morning.

Everything is accounted for by weight at the pantry. These boxes weigh between 40 – 50 pounds. There are many volunteers helping to pack boxes, from college students to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

We all work side by side with masks and gloves on to get items packed and ready for the Saturday drive through delivery. Veterans drive up, the Feed Our Vets Volunteer takes down their information and the volunteers load food into the trunks or backseat of their car. It is a “well- oiled machine” to watch this all take place. Everyone has a part as the boxes are wheeled out fresh fruit, eggs, cheese, and meat are added just before the box is placed into the veterans car. The food is distributed once a month.

OH 57 helps feed hundreds of Veterans even in adverse conditions.

VFW #6846 Riders

loading the food

into veterans cars

on Saturday. This

happens rain or

shine, and in April

it snowed!

This is what 150 boxes of

food packed and ready to go

look like. (In May we passed

out over 170 boxes) Amy Hutchinson inside

the Feed Our Vets food

pantry, during our Friday

box packing

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.

My daughter, SSgt Jennifer Wagner, USAF has been able

to join me twice for the weekend, as well as her two chil-

dren. When she was deployed in 2016, I took Reuben and

Lilly with me and viewed all the events through the eyes of

a 6 and 10-year-old. The images seemed very different

that year

Of course, there have been fun times with my BSM sisters and my GSM

friends. We danced on stage with Nancy Sinatra to “These Boots are

Made for Walking,” got to meet Richard Patrick, Paul Revere and his

Raiders, John Amos just to name a few. Participating in the Rolling

Thunder Ride was something that has to be experienced to be believed.

One of the highlights of the past 15 years was being able to

attend the event held at the White House with then NP Ka-

ren Stevens and the former DC Rep Linda Carr. Meeting

President George HW Bush was an experience that probably

will never be topped, especially when he gave both Karen

and I a kiss on our cheeks and thanked us for our children’s

service.

I have had the humbling experience of laying our BSM wreath

at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with National Presidents

Jean Burlingame, Sabrah Rolfe, and as a representative of the

org when our NP couldn’t attend. I was able to take part with

PNP Robin McCarthy in the reading of the names of the Fallen

in 2013. Later that weekend, we visited many of those heroes in

I joined Blue Star Mothers in the spring of 2004, attended my first national convention that summer and

came back as the National Historian. In May of 2005, I was privileged to attend events in Washington

DC over Memorial Day weekend, carrying our organization’s banner at Arlington National Cemetery.

Since then, whether as a National Officer or as a member at large, I have been able to attend the Memori-

al Day events every year until 2020. If you are counting, that is 15 years, 9 National Presidents. This

year would have been 10 with NP Carla Brodacki.

Memorial Day Memories

Continued next page

Through that, I have met many veter-

ans and have maintained friendships

with them throughout these past 15

years

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Memorial Day Memories...continued

There are many events that have taken place in the past 15 years during my annual trek to DC. Meeting Medal of Honor recipients, political dignitaries, military leaders, actors, rank right up there at the top. But more than any-thing else, meeting and making lasting friendships with Veterans, Gold Star

Families and Blue Star Mothers. Each year, I am able to reunite and contin-ue the relationship with these mothers, dads and other family members. We hug, we cry, we catch up on each other’s lives. We share stories, we re-member those who have fallen, we Say Their Names.

Memorial Day to me means honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while

serving their country. It means keeping their memories alive, telling their stories so

that future generations will remember them.

This year, I will be doing that in my hometown of Dayton Ohio. My husband and I will be visiting the National Cemetery here, remembering these men and woman who have served our country. Let’s all remember them together, all across the country.

Respectfully, Anita Wagner, OH1

Dear Blue Star Mothers,

On Memorial Day, we honor the thousands upon thousands who have laid down their lives in their service to our country with a sense of gratitude and humility. I once read a quote that really made me think about

making sure those lives were not lost in vain. This is the quote: Lest I continue my complacent way, help me to remember that somewhere, somehow out there, a man died for me today. As long as there be war, I then must ask and answer: Am I worth dying for? That quote was humbly spoken by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

When I served as National President for the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. I was honored to participate in services at the White House and I placed wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Women in Mili-tary Service for America Museum at Arlington National Cemetery in formal ceremonies. I stood with the mothers and spouses of our fallen heroes while they were honored. . For these families this holiday can be a painful reminder of the loss they forever bear. While their lives have been changed forever, may we let them know their loved one is never forgotten. As I listened to their stories I realized that those who lie beneath the rows upon rows of white crosses, in local cemeteries, in foreign soil, or beneath the sea were simply men and women from all over America who cared enough to risk their lives in defense of our country. People like our local Veterans. On Memorial Day, we remember those who gave their all and those who served with them. We pray for our POW’s that one day soon they will again enjoy the freedom they were defending when they were captured, and for our MIA’s, that they will be found and accounted for. We support our troops now serving and the sacrifices they are making and we remember our veterans for they made the same sacrifices yesterday. We are humbled by those who serve our country past and present. Let us honor them. Let us remember.

Memorial Day Reflections - From PNP Jean Burlingame

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Stay safe and continued Blessings for you and your loved ones!

Have you seen the

New BSMA Phone APP !!

EXCITING NEWS!!!!!

We have a new Blue Star Mothers APP available in both the Google Play Store and the Apple Store.

If you have the old APP, please delete before downloading this new FREE APP.

We think you’ll find that the new APP will be a fun and exciting tool.

The APP will have: up-to-date convention information as well as links to various parts of the website including —

quick access to locate a chapter the history of our organization signing up a news member and a link to Blue Star Mothers Facebook and Instagram pages. If you have any questions about the app or problems accessing, please contact me at: pnpanne@bluetarmothers.us

Message from PNP Anne Parker:

YEARBOOK ORDER INFORMATION:

There are 2 deadlines to remember

1. The deadline for turning in photos to the Yearbook Staff is JUNE 30th.

2. The deadline to order your yearbook IF you want to add your 2 free custom pages is July 18th. Note.. Yearbooks can be ordered after this date, but not with the 2 free custom pages.

Here is information on how to order yearbook. Reminder- shipping to your home is only$2.99