A Brother's Words; A Sister's Thoughts by Cindy Campbell

On June 24, 1928 twenty-five mothers met in Washington DC. What was the purpose of this meeting? Each of these moms had individual stories of their journey through motherhood, yet it was a united reason that brought them together to make this trip. They were seeking a federal charter from Congress to recognize the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. It took eight, long years but on June 23, 1936, the 74th Congress published a resolution designating the last Sunday of September as Gold Star Mother's Day . In 1944 President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, "There is nothing adequate which anyone in any place can say to those who are entitled to display the Gold Star in their windows. America lives in freedom because of the sacrifices of America's finest citizens and of the mothers [fathers] who raised them." Today, seventy-seven years after this statement was made, this sentiment remains true. I do not know what it is like to suffer the loss of a child. If you are a Gold Star...

Several years ago my mom and I made a trip to the lovely island of O'ahu, Hawai'i. The visit was bittersweet. We drove to Tripler Army Medical Center, which is a beautiful pink hospital on a hill. We sat down for a bit, and a pair of worn boots was between us. They belonged to a grown man who decades before had been carefully swaddled in this very sacred space. I couldn't imagine what my mom must be feeling, for this was the hospital where she delivered a little bundle of joy as a young, military spouse. Christopher George Campbell made his debut into our great big world on September 16, 1974, and I became a proud big sister.  Siblings are our first playmates, first friends and first "enemies". If you're lucky, things come full circle and you have a friend for life. As adults our relationship changed; subtly it seemed our birth order reversed. Chris was no longer that pesky little boy who was always in my things or a wild teenager who was far more daring than ...