Plans are in the works to place a monument honoring Gold Star families on the east side of The Charles E. Shelton Memorial in August.
The project is spearheaded by Mayor Tom Watson, executive assistant to the mayor Adrienne Carrico and Cathy Mullins. A groundbreaking is scheduled for 3 p.m April 9 and a dedication will be held Aug. 25.
Carrico said it was more than a year-long project, adding they were able to raise $60,000 in several months thanks to the generosity of the community.
“We got enough to cover everything,” Carrico said.
Mullins, a local Gold Star and Blue Star mother, said the monument won’t have names listed. She said designs are in the works, but the monument is a silhouette that will represent all fallen soldiers.
Mullins said this is another offering in the community to honor the fallen, including her son, Brandon who died in 2011.
“Just keeping Brandon’s memory alive in his home,” is helping her heal, Mullins said. “He’s going to outlive all of us.”
A Blue Star Family consists of the immediate family member(s) of a service member who is on active duty.
The idea to create such a monument in Owensboro came about when Mullins met The Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation — a nonprofit that encourages establishing permanent Gold Star family memorial monuments in communities across the U.S.
With support from Watson, the project came alive.
“It’s hard; every mother grieves differently,” Mullins said, adding that the journey is also “rewarding by all means.”
