Fundraising goal met for memorial honoring Gold Star Families in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — It is the next step in the culmination of a journey to honor Gold Star families across Ohio.

Tuesday marked the completion of the donations needed to fully fund the installation of The Ohio Gold Star Families Memorial Monument to the National Veterans Memorial and Museum.

The Franklin County Commissioners voted Tuesday to send $50,000 to the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation to be used for the monument’s completion.

It is set to be completed in time for a dedication ceremony on September 29th, 2024, which is also Gold Star Families Day.

“Located in the Memorial Grove behind the Veterans Memorial will be a place of reflection and comfort for families to honor their lost family members, as well as a place for the public to learn about the sacrifice of this small segment of the American population,” said Jon Bennehoof, a Navy veteran who served as the Fundraising Director for the committee working to create the monument.

ABC6 has been following the work of the committee that is leading the charge for the monument’s installation.

“The reality is we like to refer to it as ‘families of our fallen,’ because the losses that we are seeing, especially nowadays, are not ‘killed in action,’ so ‘Gold Star’ is an overall term, including our next of kin families,” said Brittnay McCall, a Gold Star wife.

The Gold Star Family Memorial was created by Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams to remember those families whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice.

The themes represented on the stone monument include homeland, family, patriotism, and sacrifice.