New Castle, Del.—The Gold Star Families of Delaware, in conjunction with the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, planned and installed the new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument located at the Delaware River and Bay Authority’s Veterans Memorial Park at the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The local committee raised the $45,000 necessary to fund the project. It was unveiled on Veterans Day in 2018.

The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) agreed to set aside land in Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and install related infrastructure for the project. DRBA has also agreed to maintain the memorial and its landscaping following its dedication.

“Nearly 15,000 names of military personnel killed in the line of duty during World War II and the Korean War from New Jersey and Delaware fill the Walls at Veterans Memorial Park,” said Thomas J. Cook, Executive Director for the DRBA. “Over the years, additional memorials, monuments and statues were erected to pay tribute to our country’s finest and incorporated into the park gardens. Many of these projects were independently funded. We plan to work closely with the Gold Star Families of Delaware and the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation to complete this special memorial.”

The Gold Star Families Memorial is a stunning black granite monument. One side bears the words seen in the photograph above. The other side tells a story through four granite panels: Homeland, Family, Patriot, and Sacrifice. The scenes on each panel reflect each community’s Gold Star Families and their fallen heroes. At the center of this tribute is the most distinctive feature, a cut out silhouette that represents each loved one who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom.