Careless talk could lead to great suffering for a Gold Star Family. Today, Trumps careless, thoughtless talk has caused great suffering not only to Gold Star Families but to all Americans. Vintage WWII poster Artist Wesley 1944
Beware of careless talk!
During WWII civilians on the home front were constantly warned to beware of unguarded, careless talk. Central to national security was the “loose lips sink ships” campaign which carried with it the potential for the loss of life. No one wanted to be responsible for contributing to yet another Gold Star mother and adding to her pain.
Today, thin-skinned Donald Trump doesn’t know when to keep quiet.Trump and his allies have now begun a vicious smear campaign of base less innuendos against a Gold Star Family, the Khans. Vintage WWII poster
Today, Donald Trump’s careless talk has caused great suffering not only to Gold Star Families but to all Americans.
Thin-skinned Donald Trump doesn’t know when to keep quiet.
His constant barrage of unguarded, careless talk that has offended (thus far) Mexicans, women, African-Americans, and Muslims has now reached a new low with his latest dismissal of the sacrifices of a Gold Star Family.
Trump’s offensive and thoughtless remarks attacking the Khans, a patriotic Gold Star Family who have made the ultimate sacrifice has rightfully appalled decent Americans on both sides of the aisle.
One can only hope Donald’s own loose lips will sink his own campaign.
Who Is a Gold Star Mother?
In this vintage ad from 1944 we can see the Sons of Service flag hanging in the dining room window, as Junior carves the Christmas turkey while dad is overseas. The flags were usually no larger than about one foot long. Hung vertically, a stick was sewn into the top heading of the flag and a piece of string attached to both ends of the stick to allow it to be suspended in front of a window.Vintage ad Carnation Milk WWII 1944
Gold Star Mothers was formed shortly after WWI to provide support for mothers who had lost sons or daughters during the war.
During WWI and WWII a Service Flag hanging in a family living room window was an all too common sight. A blue star in the center of the red bordered white field signified a family member in active duty in US military service.
If a family had multiple family members in the service of their country then additional blue stars were set into the white rectangle.
Little Blue Star in the Window Turns Gold
Careless talk could lead to great suffering and the ultimate sacrifice. In this vintage WWII poster by Artist Harry Anderson, the blue star on this grieving couples flag would soon be covered with a gold star.
When WWI began claiming many lives a new flag developed. When a son or daughter was killed in action a gold star was sewn over the blue one.
The idea of the Gold Star was “that the honor and glory accorded the person for his supreme sacrifice in offering for his country, the last full measure of devotion and pride of the family in this sacrifice, rather than the sense of personal loss which would be represented by the mourning symbols.”
In May 1918 the Women’s Committee of National Defenses suggested to President Woodrow Wilson that those mothers who had lost a family member in the war should wear a black band on their upper-left arm, adorned with a gold star. In a letter supporting this proposal, President Wilson referred to these women as “Gold Star Mothers.”
It was the beginning of a new tradition of patriotic support for those who serve our Nation in uniform that continues today.
The Best of Our Country
Yesterday when speaking to a group of disabled veterans, President Obama called Gold Star Families “the very best of our country.”
When an apology to a Gold Star Family would seem in order, Mr. Trump is uncharacteristically silent.
© Sally Edelstein and Envisioning The American Dream, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sally Edelstein and Envisioning The American Dream with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
