Nearly 100 people gathered Sept. 27 at Veterans Plaza in Boerne for the unveiling of a new monument honoring Gold Star families and the loved ones they lost in service to the country.
The ceremony coincided with Gold Star Mothers and Families Day, a national observance recognizing the families of military service members who died while serving their country.
Mayor Pro Tem Ty Wolosin joined Gold Star Mother Marcy Voss and keynote speaker Brig. Gen. Jonathan C. Taylor for the ceremony. Taylor serves as deputy commanding general for support for the U.S. Army Medical Command at Joint Base San Antonio.
“While a proclamation can recognize a day, words alone can never fully express the gratitude we owe to you and to your loved ones,” Wolosin said. “Today is an opportunity for our community to say that we remember.”
Wolosin also read a city proclamation recognizing Gold Star families and honoring the service members who made the ultimate sacrifice.
One of the ceremony’s most poignant moments came when Voss invited the Gold Star families in attendance to say aloud the names of their loved ones who died in service.
Voss became a Gold Star Mother after her son, Tyler Voss, a 2004 Boerne High School graduate, was killed May 3, 2013, in the crash of a U.S. Air Force KC-135 in Kyrgyzstan.
“The love we have for our heroes does not end when they are gone,” Voss said. “We carry our heroes with us — in our hearts, in our memories, in the stories we tell, and in the lives we continue to live in their honor.”
During his keynote address, Taylor reflected on the Army motto, “This We’ll Defend,” and its meaning beyond military service. He spoke about the generations of Americans who have answered the call to serve and the families who have supported them, emphasizing that the cost of service and sacrifice extends far beyond those who wear the uniform.
“Our nation lost heroes, but you lost someone irreplaceable,” Taylor told the Gold Star families in attendance. “We must always hold both truths together.”
The new monument was made possible through a community effort that included the Purple Heart Project, led by “chef” Mark Sierra of Compadres Hill Country Cocina, the city of Boerne Parks and Recreation Department, Bernhard Brothers Concrete, Double R Enterprises, and other community supporters.
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