Aug 10 2022
Dave Kidd | News Center 1
STURGIS, S.D.- Tuesday marked Military Appreciation Day at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The day was marked by a ceremony at Rally Point downtown.
Among the guest speakers were Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden, Colonel Martin Yost of the South Dakota National Guard, and Ellsworth Air Force Base Wing Commander Colonel Joseph Sheffield. They were all there for the unveiling of a monument dedicated to Gold Star families, the Woody Williams Foundation’s Memorial Monument.
According to Woody Williams Foundation Director of Programs, Alex Nauret, “Our late founder, Woody Williams was the last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. He had a vision of wanting to honor the families that have lost a loved one while in service to our country, our Gold Star families. We wanted to bring that education and that awareness to communities all around. And Sturgis just so happened to be the first city here in the great state of South Dakota to get a Gold Star families memoriam.”
The goals of establishing the Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments is to provide Gold Star families a space in honor of their loved ones and family. The monuments are a two-sided black granite tribute bearing the words; Homeland, Family, Patriot and Sacrifice.