Legion honors Louisa Blue Star Families in March 2023

Most Americans are familiar with the term “Gold Star family,” referring to military families who have lost a loved one who served. Some might not know that the origin of the Gold Star designation is tied to the origin of Blue Star families.

Blue Star Family More than one million, seven thousand family members support their military loved ones as members of this group. Not all military families are Blue Star families; we’ll explain why at the end of this pqge.

The Origins Of The Blue Star Family

In 1917, Army Captain Robert Queisser designed a service flag; motivated by his two sons serving in World War One, the flag as originally designed features a single blue star, which represents an individual family member serving in uniform. It wasn’t long before this flag caught on with other parents of military members and the same year, an Ohio elected official announced that the Mayor of Cleveland as well as the Governor of the State of Ohio had “adopted” the Blue Star flag.

The contemporary blue star represents one family member serving; today’s Blue Star flag may contain as many as five stars. As with the original version of the flag, if a military family member dies, a gold star is placed over the original blue star.

Some military traditions come and go. Use of Blue Star flags or banners had that experience; the flags were popular in both World Wars but were not as visible or as popular during the Korean conflict or the Vietnam war.  But after the 9/11 terror attacks on U.S. soil in Washington D.C. and New York City, veterans groups including the American Legion made a concerted effort to bring back the Blue Star flag. Today we honor both Blue Star families and Gold Star families with them.

What Makes A Blue Star Family?

Not every military family is a Blue Star family. That is because those authorized to fly the Blue Star flag are those who have immediate family members who serve in the military during a time of conflict.

The families who are selected for the honor do not have to fulfill any special requirements in order to be recognized. They just need to have a family member who is currently in the Armed Forces.

You have Memorial Day (for people who died in the wars) and You have Armed Forces Day for everybody serving on active duty, you have Veteran’s Day, which recognizes all veterans who’ve served, (who are) living.

America is not formally at war; however, our Troops are deployed is strategic areas of concerns and smaller scale conflicts which they are still required to defend themselves, our country, and our national security from any of these global threats. 

• There are more than 40,000 American troops stationed around the Middle East, including 2,500 troops in Iraq more than 18 years after President George W. Bush ordered an invasion of that country.  

• About 900 troops are in Syria on a mission begun by President Barack Obama in 2015, and Mr. Biden has said he would direct the military to carry out future operations in Afghanistan against emerging terrorist threats, even if they are launched from bases outside the country. 

Our service members live in a very war like threat, and our Post recognizes them and their families today. Our Post wishes to honor these families, just as we honored two Louisa County Blue Star Families in March.

We think there are even more so please help with spreading this notice. Families who are interested can reach out to Post 116  and inquire about the ceremony by contacting us by email: Legion_Post116@Outlook.com.