STARKVILLE — Nine flags whipped in the wind and the sun beat down on the large crowd gathered in front of the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans on the north side of the Mississippi State University campus.
Director of Veteran and Military Affairs at MSU Brian Locke, President Mark Keenum and Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt unveiled the first Blue Star Memorial marker on a college campus in the state.
The MSU officials were joined by the Garden Clubs of Mississippi and Starkville Garden Club for the dedication of the memorial by Blue Star Chairwoman Nancy Moore.
“I am honored to … dedicate this memorial on the campus of MSU,” Moore said. “It is the first (Blue Star Memorial) to be placed on any college campus in the (state). Yay State! We were determined that we were going to be here. We’re here to pay tribute to our armed forces. They stand ready at a moment’s notice to defend our country. We must not forget them, and we do not.”
The Blue Star Memorial program was established in 1944 when the New Jersey Garden Club planted 8,000 dogwood trees along the state’s Route 29. The “Blue Star” name comes from the insignia displayed at homes of those with family members serving in World War II.
The next year, the National Council of State Garden Clubs adopted the program and began placing the highway and byway markers, and the program continues today.
Locke, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, said the location for the first Blue Star Memorial on a college campus in Mississippi fits best in front of the university’s center for veterans.
“We often recognize our military and veterans on occasions such as Veterans Day and Memorial Day, but this Blue Star Memorial will be a daily reminder of all of those who have served and have yet to serve,” Locke said. “Like many of our deployed family members, a blue star flag was proudly displayed in the window of our home for the times I served both in Iraq and Afghanistan. … I can think of no better location on campus than on the front lawn at Nusz Hall to have this memorial stand forever.”
The center is named after Gillespie V. “Sonny” Montgomery — an MSU alum, retired Army major general, politician and author of the G.I. Bill. The G.I. Bill gives members of the service funds to pay for college, and it helped establish a cabinet-level Veterans Affairs position.
President of GCM Pat Young said each community’s garden club raises money to put memorials in their communities, and this installation of the one on MSU’s campus makes the 59th Blue Star Memorial in the state.
“We thank Mississippi State for allowing us to put this memorial on their campus, and I hope that every person that rides by here will pause and take a moment to remember the people that now serve or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces,” Young said.
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