On the eleventh hour, the eleventh day, the eleventh month of 1918, World War I ended. In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as “Armistice Day” to commemorate the end of World War I, known as the “Great War”.
During WWI and WWII, families with members serving in the armed forces hung banners in their windows with either blue or gold stars on the banners. A blue star was placed on a banner for each family member serving in the armed forces. A gold star replaced a blue star if a family member was killed while serving.
In 1944, the New Jersey State Council of Garden Clubs began a program that planted 8,000 dogwood trees along a stretch of highway to recognize members of the armed forces that served in WWII from New Jersey, with each tree representing one person who served. The New Jersey Legislature named that section of highway the “Blue Star Drive”.
In 1945, National Council of State Garden Clubs, now called National Garden Clubs, adopted the program and began the Blue Star Memorial Highway system that covers 70,000 miles with markers and plantings to form a “living memorial” to our armed forces.
In 1954, President Eisenhower changed the name “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day” to honor all veterans who fought to preserve America’s freedoms.
In 1981, Blue Star Memorial By-Way Markers were added to the program and placed along highways and in public areas. In 2015, Gold Star Memorial Markers and Gold Star Memorial By-Way Markers were added to the program to honor families who lost family members serving in the armed forces.
If your garden club would like to sponsor a Blue or Gold Star Memorial Marker, information about the program is found at https://www.gardenclub.org/blue-and-gold-star-memorials .
For those wishing to honor soldiers presently serving in the military, blue star banners can be ordered online through the American Legion (legion.org/troops/bluestar) or by calling (888) 453-4466.
By Karen Bowen
Karen is a member of Yuma Orchid & African Violet Society and is the Pacific Region Butterfly Chairman.
Photo 1 Wikimedia gold star history
A gold star banner was hung in a window to let the community know the family had lost a loved one serving in the military during WWI and WWII.
Photo 2 Karen Bowen gold star history
The U.S. Army sums up the sacrifices of Gold Star Families: “The strength of our army is our soldiers. The strength of our soldiers is our families. The army recognizes that no one has given more for the nation than the families of the fallen.”
