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Gold Star Families begin raising funds for Albany memorial

Staff Report | TimesUnion

ALBANY — Gold Star Families and elected officials on Wednesday announced a fundraising effort for the Memorial Monument Project in Lafayette Park to honor families of those killed during military service.

The monument will be located next to the Vietnam Veterans Monument in the park, near the corner of Washington Avenue and North Hawk Street. It will be the second in the state to honor Gold Star families.

The state Office of General Services issued an easement to the Tri-County Council of Vietnam Era Veterans Inc. to construct the Gold Star Families Memorial.

Gold Star Families set a goal of raising $75,000 by the end of the year and hope to dedicate the memorial in the spring.

Gold Star Families is an offshoot of Gold Star Mothers, a group that formed after World War I to honor families of service men and women who died in service.

The monument will consist of four panels, with one side meant for the public and a second side meant for Gold Star families.

Make donations to the Gold Star Families Memorial Fund, c/o the Tri-County Council Vietnam Era Veterans, P.O. Box 11100, Albany, NY 12211.

For information, go to www.tccvev.com/ and click on Monument Project.