South OC Times

U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) has joined a bipartisan resolution led by Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) to recognize September 22 to 28, 2024, as Gold Star Families Remembrance Week. The resolution aims to honor the sacrifices made by the families of U.S. servicemembers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

“We are forever grateful for the service and sacrifice of our service members and their families to protect our values we hold dear. Gold Star Families embody the best of our nation and live the painful reality of this service and sacrifice every day, showing resilience and strength through unimaginable loss,” said Rep. Young Kim. “I thank Representative Newhouse for introducing this bipartisan resolution to honor the strength of Gold Star Families and will keep working to ensure service members and their families in our communities are recognized for their dedication to our country.”

Tony Cordero from California, a Gold Star Son whose father Maj. William E. Cordero (USAF) was killed on a bombing mission over North Vietnam on June 22, 1965, expressed his support: “During Gold Star Families Remembrance Week, we honor the parents, spouses, siblings and children of those service members who lost their lives defending the United States and her allies. For nearly a century, ‘The Long Gold Line’ of these Gold Star Families has personified the resilience of the American spirit. Here on the home front, they endured the worst possible news delivered from a faraway war front. Yet they moved forward supporting each other and carrying on the legacies of their fallen heroes who, in the name of freedom, gave their last full measure of devotion.”

Elaine M. Roach from California also shared her experience as a Gold Star Mother: “Three months after the attack on the Twin Towers, my son joined the US Army following his grandfather’s footsteps as he was also willing to die for his country. Unfortunately, it ended horrifically when he was killed by an enemy IED while on patrol near Hor Rijeb Canal in Iraq. There is no greater love than this: that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his country.” Elaine is also a Gold Star Daughter; her father Lt. Harold S. Roach (Navy) was lost in action in South China Sea on October 2, 1964.

The resolution underscores continued efforts to ensure that both servicemembers and their families receive recognition for their dedication.