During the first World War, a flag with a gold star identified families who had lost soldiers. Grieving women were "Gold Star" mothers and widows.
Between 1930 and 1933 the United States government took 6,654 Gold Star pilgrims to visit their sons' and husbands' graves in American cemeteries in Belgium, England, and France.
This session is lead by author, John W. Graham, and covers the Gold Star pilgrimages from their launch to the present day, beginning with an introduction to the war and wartime burial.
Learn about such things as: legislative struggle and evolution of the pilgrimage bill; personal pilgrimages; the role of Quartermaster Corps; and so much more.
Biography
Author John Graham was born in Champaign, Illinois and currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has written four books and also worked at public libraries in four different states. His current job is Adult Services coordinator at the Covington Branch of the Kenton County Public Library. His most recent book is "The Gold Star Mother Pilgrimages of the 1930s" published by McFarland & Co. John also produced the PBS documentary "Gold Star Mothers: Pilgrimage of Remembrance."
