Oct 24 2020
Adeena Balthazor | CBS Fox 59
PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) — Saturday Oct. 24, 2020 marks the day where the ninth Gold Star Family Memorial Monument in West Virginia was revealed in Princeton. The first monument was installed in 2013 at the Veterans Cemetery in Institute, West Virginia.
President and CEO of the Woody Williams Foundation, Chad Graham, said thanks to the Woody Williams Foundation, families from across the country have a place to go and remember their loved ones who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
“One thing that we hear from our Gold Star Families is it’s about their loved one and it’s about us not forgetting their loved one and saying their name so it was quit impactful I know for all of us to hear these Gold Star Families say the names of their loved ones and that’s so important,” Graham said.
Fifteen Gold Star Families witnessed the dedication. One of them was the family of Bernard Ramon Wimmer who was killed in action on the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor. Wimmers Nephew Terry Snyder said this is a wonderful way to remember his uncle and his ultimate sacrifice.
“It means a lot to me I’ve researched what happened there since I was very young and just couldn’t get enough information,” Snyder said. “And this is just confirmation of the sacrifice that he made it’s just great.”
They ended the ceremony with a gun salute and playing of the taps.