With a vision of establishing Gold Star Family Memorial Monuments across America, Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams created the memorial to honor families who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Maine Fallen Heroes Foundation, in partnership with the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, has announced plans for a new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument to be located in Veterans Park in Lewiston. A local committee, co-chaired by Dean Barron and John Mixon, is working to raise the remaining $25,000 needed to fund the project. The anticipated date of completion is October 7, 2018.

“We as a country owe a debt of gratitude to those who served and sacrificed their lives so we may live in freedom,” said Gold Star father Dean Barron. “We should not forget what they stood for. Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance. By preserving the memory of the sacrifice, we honor them. The Gold Star Families Memorial will serve as a reminder of the loss our Gold Star Families live with on a daily basis.”

The L-A Veterans Council has agreed to set aside land in Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to the Governor James B. Longley Bridge and to install infrastructure needed for the project. Once the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument is dedicated, the Maine Fallen Heroes Foundation will turn over ownership of the memorial to the City of Lewiston so it can maintain the memorial and its landscaping.

The Gold Star Families Memorial is a black granite monument featuring the words: “Gold Star Families Memorial Monument: A tribute to Gold Star Mothers, Fathers, and Families who have sacrificed a Loved One for our Freedom.” At the center of the monument is its most distinctive feature, a saluting silhouette representing the Loved One who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of Freedom.

The Gold Star Family Memorial Monument was created by Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams to remember those families who have made the ultimate sacrifice. To aid the Maine Fallen Heroes Foundation with this project by contributing your 100% tax-deductible donation, visit http://hwwmohf.org/auburn-me.html.

Formed in 2010, the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that pursues its namesake’s vision of establishing Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments throughout America to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Armed Forces and the families who endured their loss. In addition to the monument initiative, the foundation also provides scholarships to Gold Star Children and sponsors and hosts outreach programs and events aimed at honoring, recognizing, and serving our nation’s Gold Star Families.

The Maine Fallen Heroes Foundation is the only IRS-registered 501(c)(3) non-profit in the State of Maine that financially supports the families of our fallen heroes. They work to support Maine’s 30,000+ family members who have lost a loved one in combat or due to accident or illness during active duty or reserve military service since WWII. They have also recently expanded their cause to include the families of Maine’s Fallen First Responders. They seek to help those in need of things that government benefits don’t cover and to provide college scholarship funds.