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| Blue Star Memorial Highway marker Tribute to the Armed Forces of America |
http://www.nrotc.org/blue.star.mem.hwy.htm
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Star_Memorial_Highway
“At the close of World War II, the National Council, like other public-spirited groups, was seeking a suitable means of honoring servicemen and women. It was agreed, that as Garden Clubs, it would be better to help beautify and preserve the country the men had fought for than to build stone monuments. The New Jersey clubs had just finished beautifying a section of one of the New Jersey highways as a War Memorial, working with the New Jersey Highway Commissioner, Spencer Miller, Jr., when Mr. Miller, a guest speaker at the annual convention of the National Council in 1945, suggested that this program be projected on a nationwide basis. This was just the kind of project the National Council had been looking for.”
It has been healing for me during our travel breaks at rest stops everywhere to notice how America honors its Armed Forces and veterans of all wars. Just this last week we were heading north on I5 near Salem, Oregon, and for the first time noticed the “Blue Star Memorial Highway” marker. I most often go to my smart phone and do a Google search to find out more. The history of the Blue Star Memorial and the Garden Clubs initiative is amazing. I am happy to share the heartwarming history of how this important veterans memorial was started and continues to this day along the highways and byways of America…
Steve Sparks
Author
Reconciliation: A Son’s Story
