PERRYSBURG, Ohio — Friday created a beautiful morning scenery above the Maumee River for a groundbreaking ceremony in Perrysburg for families whose loved ones sacrificed their lives for this country.
Woody Williams, 96, is a lone surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War War II. In recent years, his mission has been to help raise money for Gold Star Family monuments around the country.
"We have talked about Gold Star mothers a lot but we never mentioned Gold Star dads and a Gold Star dad came to me and he'd lost his son in Afghanistan. We had never done anything to honor any of those families," Williams explained.
Veronica Mora lost her husband Arthur in Iraq and she's on the Gold Star committee that helps create moments like Friday morning happen.
Time helps heal the wounds, but they never go away.
"Honoring him has become one of my life's missions and speaking to other Gold Star families it's their missions too. You don't want your loved ones to be forgotten and that's the scariest feeling that you could be forgotten," explained Mora.
"We want to make sure this is done right because this monument will be part of the history of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan and so we want this monument to stand for generations to come as a constant reminder of those who laid down their life for this nation and the values this nation represents," said State Representative Haraz Ghanbari.
Williams built the first one in his native town in West Virginia.
Perrysburg will be the 58th. Fundraising continues for the project as the total cost comes to a price of $60,000.
There is no target date for completion.