On Saturday, April 23, 2022, a new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument will honor the families of state residents who lost their lives while serving in the military.

Submitted

A new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, honoring the families of servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives while serving in the military, will be dedicated on Saturday, April 23 at 1 p.m. at Berlin Veterans Memorial Park, Veterans Way in Berlin. Dennis House of WTNH-News 8 will serve as emcee. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

Gold Star Family memorials were established by the Woody Williams Foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists in establishing the memorials in communities around the U.S., giving families a place to gather, reflect and honor their loved ones.

Currently there are 90 monuments around the U.S. and Guam and another 84 monuments in the process of being built.

The Connecticut Gold Star Families Memorial Monument is two sided. The front specifically honors Gold Star Families with the statement, “A Tribute to Gold Star Families and Relatives Who Sacrificed a Loved One for Our Freedom.” Within the monument there is an open silhouette that represents the missing family member surrounded by the pillars and the legacy they left behind.

Every Connecticut resident, immediate family and relatives of a service member who lost their life while serving (Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard) no matter how they died, including a M-day and TPU death, will be honored and remembered on the memorial.

Among those who provided guidance during the process of creating the monument are Leesa and Ray Philippon, formerly of West Hartford, parents of Larry Philippon who was killed in Iraq in 2005.

For more information, visit https://woodywilliams.org/monument/ct-monument.html; or contact Gary Roy at (860) 291-9666.

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