Gold Star Pins Available for Military Families
in combat (left) or while on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. Photo © U.S. Army
The U.S. Department of Defense offers Gold Star lapel buttons (pins) for surviving family members after a loved one dies during active service in the military. Considered symbols of honor, the pins convey the nation’s gratitude for the men and women who pay the ultimate price while serving their country.
Similar to the military funeral honors provided by the U.S. Department of Defense to families after the death of a service member, these pins are provided at no charge to surviving family members.
In 1947, the United States Congress authorized the creation of these Gold Star pins to recognize the service and sacrifice of those who die defending our nation. Modeled after the gold stars that families started hanging in their windows during World War I to indicate the death of a family member overseas, there are two versions of the pins:
The Gold Star lapel button (the pin on the left in the photo above) consists of a gold star against a purple field, surrounded by laurel leaves. The use of laurel leaves dates back to ancient Greece and generally symbolizes victory, while the color purple has long been associated with mourning and/or spirituality in many cultures.
The second version — the lapel button for Next of Kin of Deceased Personnel (the button on the right in the photo above) — consists of a gold star on a gold field, encircled by oak sprigs. The latter generally symbolizes the qualities of strength, courage or endurance, but also represents the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, in this instance.
Those entitled to wear these pins include:
• the widow or widower
• each child, stepchild, and child through adoption
• each brother, half-brother, sister, and half-sister
• each of the parents, which includes mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother through adoption, father through adoption, and foster parents in loco parentis (in place of a parent)
Generally, these pins are presented to family members before the funeral of a serviceman or -woman, but eligible family members may request a pin by completing Form DD 3 (link downloads a PDF) and returning it to the relevant military service branch listed on the second page of the form.
Sources:
“About the Buttons.” www.goldstarpins.org. Retrieved July 4, 2017. http://goldstarpins.org/SymbolsofHonor/tabid/93/Default.aspx
