This year’s annual Gold Star 500 ride, from Tuesday, September 20, through Saturday, September 24, 2022, will include 12 riders and 12 volunteers from Poland. They include members of the Polish military and members of Polish families, who have lost their loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan. The ride strives to “Always remember, Never Forget” Illinois’ fallen military members.
“Having our allies participate reinforces the importance of our mission, and it reminds us that others have experienced loss with us,” said Matt Jones, President of Gold Star Mission. “It also shows how these bonds transcend international boundaries. The commitment and compassion our allies have shown is nothing short of amazing.”
This year the Illinois ride will start in Springfield, make stops in Quincy, Galesburg, Rock Falls, and Woodstock, and finish at the Great Lakes Naval Station in Great Lakes. Many of those who volunteer with Gold Star Mission are Active or Retired members of the Illinois National Guard, which has shared a State Partnership Program with Poland since 1993. Some of those volunteers co-deployed with the Polish to either Iraq or Afghanistan. The Polish participants learned about Gold Star Mission through those connections and are considering starting a similar organization in Poland.
Gold Star Mission started in 2017 with the goal of creating awareness of the more than 300 Illinois military members killed–since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001–and awarding scholarships in their names. These goals are met during a rigorous, 500-mile, five-day, bicycle ride called the Gold Star 500.
Each year the organization has grown. In 2021 the nonprofit awarded $50,000 in scholarships,and it has awarded $214,000 in scholarships since it started. Organizers have added the annual Run for the Fallen; the General Logan 200 bicycle ride; a presence at the State Fair’s Veterans Day; virtual events, in addition to its Scholarship Awards and Appreciation Banquet.
This year the organization has also launched the Gold Star Mission Fallen Heroes History Project. The project documents the lives and service of Illinois’ fallen service members, through the eyes of their families and those they served with. To date, two videos have been created, documenting the lives and service of Illinois Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Wehrly, killed in action in Iraq on November 3, 2005, and Army Sgt. Anthony Maddox, killed in action in Afghanistan on July 22, 2013. Both videos premiered at the Illinois State Fair’s Veterans Day. More videos are being produced as funds become available.
For more information about the Gold Star Mission or how to get involved visit https://goldstarmission.org/ or e-mail goldStarMission@gmail.com.
High-resolution photographs are available upon request or can be downloaded from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service from this link: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/5794896/gold-star-family-weekend-guardsmen-lead-bicycle-riders-honoring-fallen-warriors.
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