Yesterday was Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day. On this day, we honor the strength and sacrifice of family members who have lost a son, a daughter or loved one in service to our great nation.

The idea behind Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day is credited to a woman named Grace Darling Seibold, who tragically lost her son George Vaughn Seibold during World War I. To honor his sacrifice and support other military mothers throughout the nation, Grace founded the American Gold Star Mothers organization. Additionally, her family and others began displaying service flags during World War I—blue stars for living service members were replaced with gold stars to signify the death of a service member killed in the line of duty.

In 1918, former President Woodrow Wilson officially recognized the first Gold Star Mother’s Day, and in 1936, Congress passed a resolution designating the last Sunday in September each year as Gold Star Mother’s Day in the U.S., with the very first official observance taking place on Sept. 27, 1936. Nearly eight decades later, in 2011, former President Barack Obama expanded the name to “Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day,” to honor both families and mothers who have lost loved ones in the military.

The significance of this historic day cannot be understated. Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day means the world to military families who continue to cherish and celebrate the lives of those who never made it home. Each year, I am greatly moved by the outpouring of love and support online and in our community for these families whose loved ones paid the ultimate price to protect the rest of us.

As your assemblyman for the 98th Assembly District, I will continue to advocate for these courageous families and ensure they have access to the resources and support services they deserve.

Since my election to the New York State Assembly in 2014, I have fought for several proposals and programs to support our military families, including:

• The expansion of the MERIT Scholarship to ensure New Yorkers who are children, spouses or dependents of members of the U.S. Armed Forces who died or became severely disabled in the line of duty receive tuition assistance and an allowance for other education-related expenses at SUNY colleges statewide; 
• Assembly Bills A.4769 and A.6158, both of which I introduced, to help ease the burden on families of deceased service members by allowing the spouses and children of military members killed in the line of duty to receive additional credits in competitive civil service examinations or apply for civil service positions under competitive status; and
• Lifetime Liberty Passes, providing free entry to state parks, historic sites and recreational facilities along with discounted camping and cabin rentals for New York veterans and Gold Star Families (to obtain a pass, eligible individuals must apply here: https://www.parks.ny.gov/admission/lifetime-liberty-pass.aspx/1000).

To all our Gold Star Mothers and Families: We thank you for your courage.