hostCompass supports the pursuit of freedom, equality, and happiness but we recognize that it comes at a huge price to a select group of people. We know and employ several military veterans, some who have seen serious battle and have the scars to prove it. We are fortunate to have these people here with us and to be able to call them friends. However, that is not always the case. There are thousands of wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters with loved ones that will never be coming home. Military families that endure the tragedy of losing a service member are inducted into a troop of other families who have made the same sacrifice.
Gold Star Families
During World War I, families of active duty service members would display service banners in the windows of their homes to signify that they had a family member serving in the conflict. The banner had a white background surrounded by a red border. A blue star was used to represent the family member serving. The number of blue stars on the banner correlates to the number of immediate family members in the Armed Forces. Families that displayed these banners are known as Blue Star Families. When a service member was reported as deceased, a golden star was placed within the blue star on the banner, hence the term Gold Star Family.
In World War II, the Gold Star Lapel Pin was created to be awarded to surviving immediate family members of servicemen and women who have been killed in the line of duty of specific conflicts.
Next of Kin
Under circumstances that a family does not qualify to receive the Gold Star Lapel Pin, the Next of Kin Deceased Personnel Lapel Button is available. The Next of Kin button was designed to honor families of armed servicemen and women who lost their lives in active duty or while assigned in an Army Reserve or Army National Guard unit in drill status.
Mission 22
Mission 22 is a social impact organization dedicated to providing recovery and resiliency support for veterans and military families. They have programs that assist with healing from physical and mental health traumas. For more information on Mission 22’s purpose, visit their website.
Mission 22 Benefit Auction
To show our respect for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, Compass Auctions & Real Estate will host an auction starting September 9 and ending on September 12, 2022, to benefit Mission 22. The auction will feature an autographed football signed by NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and two autographed guitars: one from country music star Travis Tritt and the other from Grammy award winner Tim McGraw. There will also be two exclusive firearms available – a Sig Sauer pistol and F1 Firearm. These firearms will only be sold to active-duty Marines, Marine veterans, or Marine Gold Star Families.
To see the full list of items available, visit the Mission 22 Benefit auction catalog.