Gold Star Families Monument Groundbreaking Set For Cedar Park

CEDAR PARK, TX -- If you still haven't decided how to celebrate the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, you might consider attending the upcoming groundbreaking for the Gold Star Families Monument honoring families of military members killed in the line of duty.

The groundbreaking is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 29, at 1 p.m. following the Gold Star Mothers' and Blue Star Mothers' Memorial 22K Rembrance Walk that starts at 10 am. The monument will be located north of the Veterans Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park, 2525 W. New Hope Dr. in Cedar Park.

The Gold Star Families Monument is a project of the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation and the Central Texas Gold Star Family Memorial Monument Project Committee.

Mayor Matt Powell and other local officials are scheduled to be on hand for the ceremony, along with Gold Star Families Monument project committee members and members of the American Legion Hunter-Morris Post 911.

State Rep. Tony Dale also will be on tap, scheduled to speak about the motivation behind bringing the memorial to Cedar Park and other communities across the nation, organizers said.

The 22K Remembrance Walk before the groundbreaking ceremony is in honor of military service members, law enforcement officials and first responders who gave their lives in the line of duty, according to organizers of the upcoming event.

The project's committee members said the bucolic surroundings at the park offer a setting for contemplation about the sacrifice of those being honored.

"The 1.5 mile trail circles through the park around the breathtaking Veterans Monument and future site of a National Gold Star Family Monument, one of only nine country wide," they wrote in an advisory. "This can be a time of solitude as you reflect on the true meaning of sacrifice, a time of camaraderie and sharing memories, an opportunity to instill the values of patriotism to young people, or to just come out and encourage those walking."

Those who plan to attend are encouraged to bring along photographs of those they are personally honoring, along with flags, signs or any other personal token of remembrance.

For more information about this project, visit the memorial monument website by clicking here.

>>> Photo of proposed site for the memorial courtesy of the Gold Star Families Monument committee