The 173rd Airborne Brigade Memorial Foundation will honor the Gold Star Families of 13 fallen Soldiers during a ceremony at 11 a.m. June 14 at the National Infantry Museum’s memorial site. The names of the Soldiers, who were killed in Afghanistan in 2012 during Operation Enduring Freedom, have been inscribed on the brigade’s monument. The newly inscribed names will be unveiled during the ceremony. Gold Star Families are families who have loved ones who have died or were killed while serving in the military. The names inscribed on the monument include Soldiers from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and today’s conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. An Act of Congress in 1947 standardized banners and established Gold Star pins which were given to the immediate Family of service members who were killed in combat. Families with a loved one serving on active duty are “Blue Star Families.” Based in Italy, the 173rd first deployed to Iraq on March 26, 2003, when nearly a thousand “Sky Soldiers” parachuted into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since that deployment, the unit has also served four deployments in Afghanistan.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:46:29 +0000
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