Robert Gillette is a Veteran of the United States Navy and the president of the Howard County Veterans Foundation. He says, “Our vision for the monument is to create a place that is meaningful and relevant — a place that truly reflects and honors the service and sacrifice of our Veterans and military families.” He emphasizes that when a service member deploys, whether during wartime or peacetime, it is not just the sailor, soldier, airman or marine who serves; their families — mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and children — also serve. “It is why we use the term, ‘military families.’”
“There is an old Navy tradition where sailors whose wives have given birth while they deployed are allowed to leave the ship first when it returns to port. I have powerful memories of witnessing that tender moment when my shipmates meet their newborn son or daughter for the first time. Seeing that reunion is something I will never forget. Many of us have seen videos of service members coming home and surprising their families.
“Those videos and images evoke different emotions for everyone. For Veterans like me, they bring back the same feelings I experienced when my ship returned from deployment, and I was reunited with my family. For others, such images inspire a sense of patriotism and pride in our military, along with profound gratitude for the freedoms we all enjoy. Yet for some, our Gold Star families, these images evoke a sense of loss and a deep longing for a reunion that will never take place.
“My hope is this monument will provide a space for everyone — regardless of whether they have a direct connection to a military family — to pause and reflect. I want everyone who visits the monument to honor the service and sacrifice of our military members and their families,” he states. “Our vision is to create an environment where everyone can take a moment to simply say, ‘Thank you for your service,’ and remember what it takes to protect and preserve the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.”
Want to share what the monument means to you? Click here to tell your story! Want to help us finish the mission? Click here to make a donation to the monument campaign.