Gold Star Families Memorial Monument

Gold Star Families Memorial Monument. . A tribute to Gold Star Families and Relatives who sacrificed a Loved One for our freedom. , Reverse Side Community . Family . Patriot . Remembrance . The only thing harder than being a soldier, is loving one who never came home., If you are able, save them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have left and what they have taught of you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind., Maj Michael O'Donnel, U.S. Army KIA 3/24/70 Vietnam , 2nd Plaque This memorial pays tribute to families who lost a loved one in the service of the United States Armed Forces. The first panel represents our community of Collin County. Citizens, whose faces are unseen, pay their respects to fallen warriors who look back as if they are standing between their beloved families and the desolation of war. The "Broken-Heart" panel honors Gold Star Families who encircle, gaze and reach out to the names of their loved one. The broken-heart shape symbolizes the sacrifice and unforgettable loss families suffer when a warrior falls. The inspiration and patriotism of our Armed Forces is depicted in the third panel with the iconic rendering of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima in World War II. The fourth panel features poignant prose of a fallen Vietnam Warrior/Poet surrounded by the likeness of young Collin County fallen warriors who gently gaze upon us as a reminder to never forget. Finally, the hollow silhouette of the saluting soldier, represents the void created when a warrior is lost. His salute honors his fellow fallen warriors.