JBLM memorial bench dedicated to Gold Star families
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Approximately 35 Gold Star family members gathered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Devotion Park on Sept. 25 to dedicate a memorial bench that provides a permanent space for reflection and remembrance.
Gold Star families are relatives of service members who died in service to the nation. The Gold Star Family Memorial Bench Dedication Ceremony, hosted by JBLM Survivor Outreach Services, highlighted the base’s support for surviving families and was held two days before Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day.
A plaque on the bench reads: “May this bench be a place of peace and remembrance to our Gold Star families, dedicated Sept. 2026.”
“You continue to be our family, and we will always be yours. That is the true significance of this bench,” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Escandon, deputy commanding general of I Corps. “Let it serve as a visible reminder that our fallen heroes are never forgotten, and their families will never walk alone.”
Lupe Urdaneta, a Gold Star spouse whose husband died in 2019, explained that the bench, in a visible location on the installation, will help people better understand Gold Star families.
It’s comforting “to know that we’re not alone. We’re not fighting alone. We’re not walking through this grief alone,” Urdaneta said. “For JBLM to have this, it means so much to us.”
The JBLM SOS mission is to make sure no survivor ever feels forgotten. SOS provides long-term support to eligible surviving family members, including personal support coordination, help with survivor benefits and paperwork, financial counseling, local support and events, and relocation assistance.
“After their loved one passes away, those services never have an expiration date,” said Nikki Macias, JBLM SOS coordinator. “We build really long-term relationships with the families.”
Urdaneta, an SOS volunteer since 2020, spoke highly of the program.
“SOS is very beneficial for families like us, because when we don’t have resources, they find a way,” she said.
To learn more about SOS at JBLM, visit https://jblm.armymwr.com/programs/survivor-outreach-services.
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