HOUSE BILL 726
By Hensley
AN ACT to amend Tennessee
Code Annotated, Title 15,
Chapter 2, to designate Gold Star Mother's Day as
a day
of special observance.
WHEREAS, Americans pay tribute to those individuals who have helped to secure
enduring blessings of peace and freedom; and
WHEREAS, Memorial Day and Veterans Day are designated
to honor the sacrifice of
Americans who have served in the United States Armed Forces and to celebrate
those who
have served and the values of duty, honor and civic responsibility Americans hold as a nation;
and
WHEREAS, Gold Star Mother's Day is intended to honor women who deserve special
recognition and gratitude for their tremendous personal loss on behalf of our country; and
WHEREAS,
during the early days of World War I, a Blue Star was used to represent
each soldier in the military service
of the United States; and
WHEREAS, as the war progressed and soldiers were killed or wounded in combat
or
died from wounds or disease, a Gold Star superimposed over the Blue Star designated the loss
of
these individuals; and
WHEREAS, this tradition recognized soldiers for their ultimate sacrifice to our
country;
and
WHEREAS, the Gold Star offered families an outward symbol by which to honor
the loss
of a loved one; and
WHEREAS, in 1928, the Gold Star tradition was formalized
in Washington, D.C. by a
group of mothers who had lost sons and daughters in service to their country and
who met to
form the American Gold Star Mothers organization - a nondenominational, nonprofit, and
nonpolitical
organization; and
WHEREAS, in 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt recognized Gold Star Mothers for
their strength and inspiration to this country; and
WHEREAS, Tennessee's Gold Star Mothers,
whose sons and daughters have died in
defense of the ideals of individual liberty, should be honored and
offered respect and gratitude;
and
WHEREAS, the sons and daughters of Tennessee's
Gold Star Mothers have made the
ultimate sacrifice for our country during World War II, the Korean War,
the Vietnam War, and in
places such as Afghanistan and Iraq; and
WHEREAS, this nation
remembers these young men and women with pride and deepest
appreciation; and
WHEREAS,
In recognition of the courage of Gold Star Mothers, the United States
Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution
115 of June 23, 1936 (49 Stat. 1895), designated the last
Sunday in September as "Gold Star Mother's
Day," which resolved authorizing and requesting
that the President issue a proclamation in observance
of this day; now, therefore,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION
1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 15, Chapter 2, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following language as
a new section:
§ 15-2-120.
The last Sunday in September of each year shall be observed
as “Gold Star Mother's
Day,” to be proclaimed as such by the governor, to honor Tennessee's
Gold Star Mothers for
their courage, resolve, and strength in the face of great personal loss. State agencies,
interested organizations, and groups and individuals are encouraged to fly the United States
flag
on this day as a public expression of our state's sympathy and respect for our Gold Star
Mothers. This
day shall not be a legal holiday as defined in § 15-1-101.
