The meeting on September 24, 2023, was a commemoration of Gold Star Mother's and Family Day. The event featured several speakers sharing personal stories, poems, and an essay in honor of fallen service members. Jane Van Geisen, a proud Gold Star Mother, read a poem she wrote titled "Remember Me," dedicated to her son, Lance Corporal John Van Geisen, who was killed in action on July 5, 2004. Another speaker, Harley, shared a poem called "Ladies of Gold" and spoke about her family's tradition of remembering a cousin lost overseas on February 12, 1944. Joshua Dennis Harrington, son of Sergeant Kyle Joseph Harrington who was killed in Iraq in 2009, read his essay, "A Metaphysical Dilemma," reflecting on the profound impact of his father's sacrifice on his life. The ceremony concluded with a prayer honoring Gold Star families and the sacrifices made by their loved ones.
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and my son Lance corporal John band guys and was killed in action on July 5th 2004. not long after his death words came to me in the middle of the night and I wrote this poem and I call it remember me and I wrote it to honor off Holland remember me with smiles and laughter so that's how I Will Remember You if you only remember me with tears and sorrow that don't remember at all our
0:37brain soldiers will be remembered for their love of life and the love for their country God Bless America land of the free and look around you home of all our dreams so tonight when you go home and you wrap that blanket of Freedom around you remember all the brave men and women who have fought for us in the past and remember of the brave men and women who are
1:06fighting for us so that we can be here today and remember all the brave men and women who have fought and died so that we can sleep free my name is Jane van geisen I'm a proud gold star mother thank you so thank you everybody for having me out today it's really an honor to be here and see all of you meet all of you and even hear some stories as I already have
1:35on the walk over so I'd like to start by reading a quick poem and it's called ladies of gold they are stars that shine so bright but they don't just shine at night for they are mothers from near and far who have lost a son or daughter at War they shine as does a loving Smile as does a glint of a tear for they gave the gift of one they held so dear
2:05their dearest treasure was snatched away so that in Liberty Others May Live today the pain in their hearts it does ache they are proud to stand for their son and daughter's sake to fight for freedom and to dash tyranny they did this for you and they did this for me I for one stand ready to do my part and take each mother into my heart and let them know that it is a lie for
2:36not a vein did her son or daughter die and these ladies but they are young or old are truly worth their weight in gold I'll take them in my arms their tears on my chest I'll tell them he or she was America's Best My Hope if I may be so bold is for the light for their eyes to shine like gold a gold star mother they'll always be we owe them plenty everyone you and me
3:09so this poem as I had read it truly I felt it in my heart because I am here I may not have lost a mother or a father or a child but I am here as a voice for those that did not come home and for you as somebody that has lost them it is my vow to make sure that they are never forgotten every day since I was younger I was
3:35always reminded Harley in do you know what today is whether it was Pearl Harbor Day Memorial Day veterans day my grandfather sat at that breakfast table to remind me every time of what that day was what it symbolized and told me the story February 12 1944 is a day in my family that has never been forgotten my grandfather lost his cousin overseas who has still not returned home and he makes sure even on that day he
4:08reminds us and now my daughter sits at that table with my grandfather her great-grandfather being reminded each and every day what we have lost and what the cost of our freedom truly is so I am here and I am a voice in a way to help them remember as well hello everyone it is an absolute honor to be here with you all today to commemorate such a solemn occasion my name is Joshua Dennis Harrington
4:41I'm the son of Sergeant Kyle Joseph Harrington who was killed while serving his country in Iraq in the year 2009 he was only 24 years old I was five my dad was a good man and it's because of his sacrifice that I'm able to go to the school of my dreams so that I can pursue a future that would have made him proud when the time came to apply to this college
5:12I was tasked with writing an essay about one event in my life that had completely changed the trajectory of it my mind immediately jumped to my Dad's passing because like all gold star families know all too well nothing flips your world upside down like the loss of a loved one before I knew it I was writing about something deeply personal to me that had bothered me for a really long time
5:41the thought of what my life might have been like had he not died it is with great pleasure that I share this Essay with you all now I call it a metaphysical dilemma
6:00metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality it is through this philosophy that I have Unearthed a reality-based crisis from the deepest recesses of my mind this dilemma of mine is a struggle between what is real and what is not between the reality that I desire versus the one that transpired from my limited life experience I've come to understand that in this
6:28world we live in more often than not is one in which we prematurely lose our loved ones for reasons we can neither justify nor comprehend as depressing as this might sound I would be lying if I said death had an undesirable effect on my life somehow that almost makes the loss of my dad worse knowing that although I have been dealt a terrible misfortune that it has had an adverse effect on my life
6:57I am surrounded by a strong support group of loving friends and family I live in a beautiful house and a safe Suburban neighborhood spending my free time playing sports reading and relaxing with peers I'm the proud founder of a thriving landscaping business that I grew from the ground up I am relatively happy and never in need or want of any material comforts and yet I don't have a dad it has occurred to me that
7:29had my dad not passed away I would have nothing for my current life all the joyous memories and the unbreakable bonds would cease to exist had my dad just been in a different place at a different time I would have spent my Early Childhood on a military base somewhere in Germany would have learned the language I would have traveled the world during my adolescence moving from Base to Base being able to
7:56immerse myself in a wide variety of cultures and Lifestyles more importantly I would have had my dad back and the void left in our family after his death would be whole again I sometimes lose myself in this alternate reality and the more I Envision it the more I crave it but to embrace that reality would mean to lose everything that I've come to know and love in this one everything I strive to achieve was
8:23wrought from my desire to be just like my old man it's overcome the daunting Legacy he left in his wake and neither my current life nor the concocted one I devote too much thought to am I able to have the best of both worlds as in both I lose out on something otherwise vital to my existence I am racked with guilt when I think of how content I am in my life knowing that
8:47it was paid for with the blood of our fallen patriarch yet I am convinced that I would without hesitation throw it all away everything I've ever accomplished and every relationship I've ever made for just a glimpse at what my life would have been like with my dad around the nagging question ever present in the back of my mind the one that eats away at my conscience that prevails against any reason or rationale is
9:15what if if there's anything you take away from today let it be this that those closest to us are far too often the ones we take for granted so when you get home after this please hug your loved ones tell them how much you love them call up your friends make plans enjoy their company because they won't be around forever life really is too short and all we have in this life is each other
9:47appreciate what is so that you're not left wondering what if thank you all for coming out tonight thank you thank you together
10:03wow we remember and honor those lives lost in defense of our country fighting for freedom and justice throughout our world we lift up in prayer these in all gold star families and mothers as we show our love and our support for them may they know they're tremendous and painful sacrifice is appreciated by a Grateful Nation we ask your blessings and your grace upon them as their loved family member made the
10:49ultimate sacrifice laying down their lives for others as we remember their sacrifice may we be faithful stewards of the Heritage that they have entrusted to us and as they gave themselves to advance the ideal of world peace and justice may they Inspire our continued efforts towards this same end unite the people of our nation to defend the freedom Justice inequality and fight for peace for which they lived and died
11:32we ask this and your holy name amen
12:08ah
12:25ah