“Forever Loved, Never Forgotten”
The Navy Gold Star Program is eternally grateful for the sacrifice of those Service Members who have died in service to our country. To help us to never forget, we have set up this tribute page to honor and remember the memory of those lives. If you would like to honor the memory of your Sailor, Soldier, Marine, Airman or Coast Guardsman through the Navy Gold Star website please submit your thoughts and a photo.
In the early hours of September 11, 2001 I was jolted by a vivid vision of a lone body lying atop a stark white gurney at the end of a long dark corridor. An eerie approach toward the person revealed it was my son, JB. An awful fear shot to my core as I toiled emotionally and spiritually to reject any merit in this dream. Later that morning, I witnessed on the news the deaths of thousands of people in the World Trade Center.
Within five months following the attack on the WTC, my son, Captain James B. Blackmon, Jr., USMC was dead; my pregnant daughter-in-law widowed and my unborn grandson left fatherless. My life was abruptly changed, just as thousands of other families’ lives have been changed forever.
We must always remember the fallen. Acknowledge and salute those who willingly placed themselves in harm’s way to guard and secure the freedom and liberties we so often take for granted. Know that life could be quite different if it were not for their unselfish sacrifices for our rights to life, liberty and our pursuit of happiness. Recognize and support the families of these courageous men and women who have served in all branches of the military.