The Beaches Fallen Wartime Heroes Monument was dedicated Saturday in Atlantic Beach, honoring 63 local service members who sacrificed their lives.

Author: Hajah Bah

Published: 7:03 PM EDT October 11, 2025

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. — A new monument now stands in Atlantic Beach, honoring dozens of local service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. The Beaches Fallen Wartime Heroes Monument was officially dedicated today at Beaches Veterans Memorial Park, bringing together families, veterans and local leaders for a day of reflection and gratitude.

“I want one day the kids talk by this monument, look at those names and say who were they — and we can answer, they were heroes,” said Lenny Jevic, historian for Beaches Veterans Memorial Park.

The monument features the names of 63 fallen service members from Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Mayport — each one etched in stone as a lasting tribute. Jevic says the project has been years in the making.

“I am over the moon. This is a project that has been near and dear to my heart,” Jevic said.

Among the names engraved is Joseph Howard Pierce Jr., who was drafted in Duval County into the Vietnam War. He was killed in action in 1969, just nine months after deployment. His son, Joseph Pierce, attended the unveiling.

“I was small when he served in Vietnam and was killed in action. To see this come back with the generation of veterans that are here —  it is an honor to be among them,” Pierce said.

“It’s a unique feeling being a family member  through the 70s there was a lot of silence because of the turmoil and the veterans coming back,” Pierce added.

Jevic says the monument ensures future generations never forget.

“They are on that wall. We will never forget them. We will always honor them and keep them in our hearts,” Jevi said.

ARTICLE WITH VIDEO FEATURING JULIE HAMMOND GSSA TREASURER

https://www.waaytv.com/news/military-matters/a-legacy-remembered-the-families-of-black-hawk-down/article_ebee8631-72eb-4f9d-9c58-ded8a9db811b.html

The Department of War’s Gold Star Advisory Council (GSAC) convenes for the first time Monday, providing an unprecedented, direct channel for families of fallen service members to meet and engage with senior military leadership and have their voices heard at the decision-making level.

"Today marks the first time a Gold Star Advisory Council convened at the Secretary of War level," Secretary of War Pete Hegseth exclusively told Fox News Digital. "This council is long overdue for Gold Star families to elevate their voices directly to Department leadership, tackle real concerns, and transform the casualty process for good. It has my full backing to call out the failures, shake up the bureaucratic status quo, and drive the changes that will stick."

Gold Star families are relatives of U.S. military members who lost their lives in service. 

The GSAC was established in May, through a memorandum signed by Hegseth. Its mission is rooted in honoring the ultimate sacrifice of America’s warfighters and ensuring that the families left behind are never forgotten.

Meeting at least twice each year, the council will be charged with offering policy recommendations, holding the department accountable and providing a permanent forum for Gold Star families to share concerns and propose solutions.

Co-vice chairs include Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata, alongside Jane Horton, a Gold Star wife and senior advisor to the Secretary of War. 

Together, they are to bring senior-level expertise and the deeply personal perspective of those who have borne loss firsthand.

"Gold Star Families are vital to our military community and our mission," Tata said to Fox News Digital.

"Their strength and resilience are truly inspiring and emblematic of the warrior ethos that we strive to promote throughout the Total Force. The Gold Star Advisory Council is a testament to their enduring service to our nation."

He added that the council represents an enduring commitment:

"The Gold Star Advisory Council will enable the Department to continue remembering our fallen Service members and delivering on our promise to take care of the families they left behind."

Tata also praised his co-vice-chair's "extraordinary efforts" to elevate Gold Star families by "telling their stories, and keeping the memories of our fallen heroes alive." He expressed his appreciation for Horton's "advocacy, representation, and leadership."

Horton echoed both Hegseth and Tata’s charge and highlighted the council’s mission-driven purpose.

"The Secretary’s charge is clear: every warrior must know that if the worst should happen, their family will never be forgotten, and their sacrifice will never be overlooked," she said to Fox News Digital.

"The Gold Star Advisory Council exists to create real, lasting change. We are not symbolic. We are a mission-driven body of Gold Star Families and senior leaders focused on reforming the systems that shape casualty assistance, long-term care, and how our nation honors the fallen.

"The strength of this council lies in those who have borne unimaginable loss and still choose to lead. We are here to serve our warriors."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hegseth-chairs-first-ever-gold-star-advisory-council-meeting-giving-families-direct-line-pentagon?fbclid=IwY2xjawNMGTlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFORUl2TmR4NGgzU0MwcWFGAR4b1nBnreyZcOqPU9QuJDkiuSmnh9FhTce9bmo013hZeazEVMptBAhIOJC7gw_aem_atLbMf8LnOEKfeuAgoG3JA

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Since the dawn of our Republic, millions of brave men and women have answered the call of liberty to preserve peace, uphold our sovereignty, and defend the sacred ideals that have defined our Nation for nearly 250 years.  Countless souls have perished in this noble pursuit — their supreme sacrifice borne by surviving families with profound sorrow, remarkable strength, and inspiring dignity.  This Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day, we remember and honor the loved ones of those patriots who paid the highest price for our birthright of freedom.

The supreme sacrifice of our fallen heroes is neither solitary nor finite.  Instead, it is shared by bereaved families who bury the fallen and wage an unending battle of unfathomable heartache that is not erased by the passage of time.  Gold Star Families know better than anyone the tremendous cost of our freedom, paid for by the blood of their beloved husbands, wives, sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers who forfeited their hopes and dreams so that others may live with peace, safety, and liberty in the greatest country on the face of the Earth.  We are eternally grateful for their heroic sacrifice.

Last month, I was proud to meet with the Gold Star Families of the 13 service members who lost their lives in the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.  Four years later, these families carry a burden of grief that is compounded by the absence of accountability and compassion from the previous administration.  As Commander in Chief, I will never betray our warfighters or turn my back on their families.  They deserve our enduring support and respect and an aggressive policy of peace through strength so that fewer families are shattered on the field of battle.

As we observe Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day, the First Lady and I extend our steadfast love and unwavering devotion to those who bear the unbearable with grace and resilience.  May you find comfort in knowing the sacrifice of your hero will never be forgotten.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 115 of June 23, 1936 (49 Stat. 1895 as amended), has designated the last Sunday in September as “Gold Star Mother’s Day.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Sunday, September 28, 2025, as Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day.  I call upon all Government officials to display the flag of the United States over Government buildings, and I encourage the American people to display the flag and hold appropriate ceremonies as an expression of our Nation’s gratitude and respect.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.

                               DONALD J. TRUMP

Read Original on White House Site

The U.S. Senate has approved S.Res.415, the Gold Star Families Remembrance Week resolution introduced by U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) on Tuesday.  The resolution, approved by unanimous consent, establishes Sept. 21-27, 2025, as Gold Star Families Remembrance Week.

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) introduced a bipartisan resolution to honor the sacrifices made by the families of U.S. military servicemembers who have given their lives in defense of the nation.

The bipartisan measure establishes Sept. 21-27, 2025, as Gold Star Families Remembrance Week.

“In the same sense that we honor the fallen and our veterans, I think we have a duty to honor the families of the service members who lost their lives in service to our nation.  They, too, have sacrificed for our freedoms,” Senator Hyde-Smith said.  “I hope people in Mississippi and across the country will take time to reach out to Gold Star families during the 2025 Gold Star Families Remembrance Week.”

“Our nation is indebted to the brave servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedoms. And their families, who also sacrificed immensely, deserve our recognition and support,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.  “I am proud to recognize the bipartisan Gold Star Families Remembrance Week and honor the families of the servicemembers who sacrificed everything to keep us safe.  As long as I serve all Georgians in the U.S. Senate, I will be a champion for our servicemembers, veterans, and Gold Star families.”

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) supports the annual resolution.

“The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) appreciates Senators Hyde-Smith and Warnock for introducing the 2025 Gold Star Families Resolution to designate a full week to honor all of our nation’s Gold Star families,” said Bonnie Carroll, TAPS President and Founder.  “Memorial Day exists to honor the fallen, but Gold Star Families Remembrance Week provides the opportunity to honor surviving military families themselves.”

The observance of Gold Star Families Remembrance Week follows Gold Star Mother’s Day, which has been commemorated by presidential proclamation since 1936 on the last Sunday of September.

Hyde-Smith first introduced the Gold Star Families Remembrance Week resolution in 2018, setting a precedent by establishing the first formal and national recognition of the sacrifices made by families of the fallen.  Hyde-Smith and Warnock have introduced the resolution jointly since 2021.

Read the 2025 Gold Star Families Remembrance Week resolution here.

Read the original article. 

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to plan and implement certain technological improvements to its systems, particularly in relation to the processing of claims and benefits.

First, the bill requires the VA to submit to Congress its plan to make available an automation tool for processing claims. Such tool must automate the retrieval of the records of the veteran, compile evidence relevant to the determination of the claim, provide automated decision support relevant to the determination, automate information sharing between federal agencies, and assist in generating correspondence regarding the claim.

Within one year of submitting this plan, the VA must ensure that each VA program office responsible for processing claims for pension or survivor benefits has an automation tool that at least assists in generating correspondence regarding the claim.

The VA must also implement policies, processes, and technological capabilities to ensure that a claims processor is made aware of and assigned to address situations when (1) there is an increase in the amount of dependency compensation paid to a beneficiary for a child, and (2) any educational assistance is paid to the child of a veteran.

Finally, the VA must submit a plan to Congress to ensure documents in the Veterans Benefits Management System are correctly labeled when uploaded.

U.S. House Approves Bill to Replace Fallen Armed Service Personnel’s Grave Markers with Those Reflecting Warriors’ Actual Religions

September 15, 2025 / Leave a Comment

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)– U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz(D-Florida) and Max Miller’s (R-Ohio) bipartisan Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday by voice vote. If signed into law, it would help ensure hundreds of fallen American-Jewish servicemembers are buried under military grave markers that represent their true religion and heritage.

The bill now moves to the Senate to be considered. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) and Jerry Moran(R-Kansas) lead the companion bill in the Senate.

“This bill is an important step to allow for the research necessary to correct these errors and ensure there are resources for that work,” said Wasserman Schultz.  “This will make it possible for these brave Jewish servicemembers’ descendants to know that their loved one’s military service, life and religious heritage are properly honored.”

Due to the sheer scale of burials that occurred during World War I and II, hundreds of American-Jewish servicemembers killed in action were improperly buried under Latin Cross grave markers, rather than Stars of David. It is estimated that as many as 900 remain that way today.

To replace a grave marker at American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) cemeteries, the next of kin must present the ABMC with evidence of the decedent’s religious heritage and submit a grave marker change request. However, without resources, this process can be difficult for families. This legislation would create the “Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program,” to award contracts to nonprofits to identify and research American-Jewish servicemembers buried in ABMC cemeteries under grave markers that do not represent the proper religion and heritage. It authorizes $500,000 per year for five years for the program.

This bill is supported by Jewish Federations of North America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Gold Star Spouses of America, Jewish War Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Aleph Institute, the Non-Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA), Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Legion, and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). Read the full bill here.

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Preceding provided by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Link to Original Article

We are honored to announce Katie Fellure (Vasquez) has joined our Board of Directors.

Katie’s husband, LTC Michael Fellure, died on active duty in 2019 at age 47 from esophageal cancer linked to burn-pit exposure during his service in Iraq. We honor his life, service, and sacrifice, and the strength Katie carries forward in his memory.

Through her work, Katie has become a tireless advocate, raising awareness and fighting for benefits for families like hers. She brings both lived experience and a powerful voice to our mission, and we are grateful for her leadership and commitment to ensuring surviving families are supported and heard.

Please join us in welcoming Katie to the Gold Star Spouses of America Inc. team.

Are you a Service-Connected Surviving Military Spouse who had a Burial Transportation Benefit Claim processed at the Veterans Administration between Jan 2023 and Mar 2024? Please reach out to us at info@goldstarspouses.org.

Recent report from VA OIG estimated that 83 percent of Veteran Death benefit claims from this time period contained an error, of which 2,000 claims (16 percent) resulted in about $1.9 million in underpayments. You may have been underpaid! Please contact us if you believe you may be in this group.

Please read the following VA report for more information:

https://www.vaoig.gov/.../delays-pension-automation...