On July 2, 2006, at Veterans Park in Kent, New York, The Gold Star Memorial Statue was unveiled before Gold Star Mothers from several states and many dignitaries. The customary applause did not happen at the moment of unveiling. Three minutes of silence was broken by staggered sobs and sighs. The smiles on the tear streaked faces of the Gold Star Mothers gave testimony that the project was worth the four years of effort on the part of so many.
Andrew Chernak's design was of a WWII mother for two reasons. First, it would eliminate discussion whether or not the statue would be a Vietnam, Korea, or current day mother. Secondly, WWII saw the greatest number of Gold Star Mothers. The statue would be of a mother, tears flowing, looking off to memories of her child. Grief stricken and unsteady, she braces herself with one hand on a plant stand at her side. The hand grasps the Western Union telegram read with disbelief a moment before. The table top has a photo of a serviceman and a flower pot knocked to its side, teetering at the table’s edge.
