Active Gold Star Mothers!

It's October already, and we are in the midst of the Great Government Shutdown.  Holy Mackerel.  What a mess.  Among other things, death gratuities are not being paid to surviving families.  Last weekend, five servicemembers were killed in two separate incidents and their families are getting nothing from DoD.  What they will be getting is their $100,000 from the Fisher House Foundation which theoretically will be reimbursed by the government when all of this is straightened out.  I hope they see their half a million dollars someday because Fisher House is a wonderful organization.

So, as a Gold Star Mother, I've had an active fall so far.  Our Maryland chapter had a crab feast on September 22 which raised over $4,000 for us, then the following Friday, eight of us were guests at Pax River Naval Air Station, in honor of Gold Star Mothers Sunday (there is not much activity there on the weekends).  It was lovely.  Our chapter meeting was a week after that, then this past Tuesday two of us were able to greet an Honor Flight of World War II veterans their guardians at Baltimore Washington International airport.  They were so happy to be here, and they got the last day of good weather we had this week.  Evidently, the National Park Service let them in to see the monuments.

It is October and we approach the 9th anniversary of Thomas's death.  It's on a Monday this year so I'll be taking the day off.  Maybe we should go to the Leonardtown parade, since I don't think we are having one near here.