Gold Star Mother’s Day and Family’s Day, the last Sunday in September has been designated a remembrance day. This year it is September 27, 2026. The history of National Gold Star Mother’s Day and their families begins with a young country thrown in the midst of a great war. The term “Gold Star” itself originated during WWI, when U.S. Army Captain Robert L. Queissner, 5th Ohio Infantry, (a father with two sons fighting in Europe) patented and hung the first recorded blue star banner in his window in 1917. Other families began displaying star banners, with a blue star for each child in active military service. If a service member was killed in action or died from injuries, a gold star replaced the blue, signifying to the community the price the family had paid for the cause of freedom. These families became known as “Gold Star Families.” When a service member died, families stitched a gold star over the blue star.
In 1936, the U.S. Congress designated the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mother’s Day. In 2011, President Barack Obama amended the name to Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day.
For eligibility a family is recognized as a Gold Star Family when the service member died:
• In combat or armed hostilities
• During qualifying military operations or peacekeeping missions
• In an international terrorist attack recognized by the Secretary of Defense.
Gold Star Families encompass the immediate relatives of U.S. military service members who tragically died while serving in the line of duty. This esteemed group includes mothers, fathers, spouses, siblings, and children. We, as a community, acknowledge their courage, resilience, and the profound sacrifice of their loved ones. It is also a national moment to remember the cost of freedom and to support these families.
Gray County has several warriors that have given the ultimate sacrifice for this country. There is a granite monument on the south end of the Freedom Museum grounds, 600 North Hobart Street, listing their names. The families of these veterans are “Gold Star Families”.
On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Linda Lantz was presented a Gold Star ornament in recognition of her brother, Sam S. Allison, also known as Steve Lantz, an Army medic who was tragically killed in Vietnam on July 9, 1968. He was only 19 years old at the time and Linda was 16.
“He hounded the recruiter until they let him join,” Linda recalls. “He had flat feet, bad ankles from polio, and was blind without his glasses. He was given a Purple Heart and bronze and silver stars. I met the men he served with at some of their Blackhorse reunions and heard some amazing stories. He was my best friend.”
There have been no reported casualties from Gray County since Vietnam. If you are aware of someone that was from Gray County and was KIA in war after Vietnam, please let the Freedom Museum or VFW Post 1657 know.
It would be reasonable to say there are Gold Star Families living in Pampa that are not originally from Gray County. We can honor and remember them and their warrior on September 27th.
Gone but not forgotten.
