COMMEMORATING GOLD STAR FAMILIES
Gold Star families are relatives of US military members who have died on active service. In 2013, Williams established his own nonprofit organisation to raise awareness among the American public about the sacrifices of these families. The foundation encourages the establishment of permanent memorials nationwide and provides ‘Living Legacy’ scholarships to eligible children of fallen relatives.
Williams explains why he set up the charity, “I had a very close school friend who joined the air corps in WWII and lost his life in the Philippines. That impacted my life along with my subsequent work with veterans and their families. However, we as a country had never recognised the families with monuments or memorials. I decided we needed to do something to recognise their sacrifice.”
Since its establishment the foundation has expanded, “We did the first memorial in West Virginia and it continues to grow. Today, we have 59 dedicated memorials throughout the USA and about 63 in process. We depend on donations and I get a lot of honorariums from speaking around the country. All the money goes to the foundation.”
The memorials have been instrumental in helping grieving families, “It’s amazing because the families are beginning to become acquainted with each other for the first time. That’s never been done before but they’re now having functions and are able to share
