PENSACOLA — NAS Pensacola Fleet and Family Support Center, with the National Naval Aviation Museum, will conduct the Bells Across America for Fallen Service Members ceremony.
The event — 11 a.m. Sept. 22 at the aviation museum — is a national program that celebrates the lives of fallen service members. The ceremony, conducted simultaneously across the nation, features the names of fallen heroes read aloud. For each name, a bell is struck one time.
Guest speaker and filmmaker Jill Hubbs recently produced the documentary, “They Were Our Fathers,” in which she shares experiences of those whose dads died in Vietnam as well as her personal experience of losing her father.
The Navy Gold Star Program serves families of all who died on active duty, regardless of branch of service or cause of death. The program serves survivors by providing support, information and services as long as they desire.
FFSC asks all Gold Star survivors to participate in the event and is actively soliciting names of those in the local area whose survivors wish them to be recognized during the ceremony.
Anyone whose family member died while on active duty can contact Kathy Sims, 452-4277 or Kathy.sims@navy.mil. Provide the name, rank and date of death of the decedent and the Gold Star family relationship.
A photograph will also be requested, to be respectfully displayed during the event.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gold Star survivors sought for memorial