Oregon’s first Gold Star Families Memorial unveiled

An estimated 300 people gathered Feb. 7 for the dedication ceremony of the new Gold Star Families Memorial Monument at Keizer Station.

The monument was established in partnership with the Woody Williams Foundation and installed at Pfc. Ryan J. Hill Memorial Park. It is the first of its kind in Oregon and the 154th such monument established by the foundation in the United States.

“This memorial will ensure that future generations may understand the impact of the sacrifice that every Gold Star family has made,” said Kevin Dial, a Marine Corps veteran and retired Oregon National Guard officer. “The Army says no one is left behind, and that promise does not end at the battlefield and it extends to our families who carry the Gold Star.”

The monument was referred to during the dedication program as a place of healing and honor, a permanent reminder of the sacrifices made by both those who gave their lives defending our freedom and their loved ones left behind, known as Gold Star families.

It is a 7-foot-tall, two-sided tribute featuring four panels made of black granite, with a silhouette of a saluting service member in the center. One panel is title “Homeland,” etched with an outline of Oregon, the Keizer city logo and trees.

Dr. Mark Harris, the outgoing CEO of the Woody Williams Foundation, commended Keizer for establishing the monument in record time, or 18 months, noting it has taken three to five years in other communities.

He asked members of the Gold Star families to stand and be recognized, including Shawna Fenison, mother of the soldier the park is named for. Ryan Hill, from Keizer, died in 2007 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad. The park was dedicated in his name in 2013.

After the monument was unveiled, each Gold Star family member shared their loved one’s name and placed a yellow rose at the base of the monument.