Countywide group seeks more military mom membership

While military service members rely on boot camp to help prepare them for what lies ahead, no such training is made available to the mothers whose sons and daughters sacrifice for their country.

That's where the Blue Star Mothers of America comes in, aiding Williamson County mothers since July 2011 when the group began with seven members. Now featuring almost 30 area Blue Star Mothers, the group is responsible for spreading awareness through blue star banners that indicate how many children each family has enlisted.

Each blue star is changed to a gold star if a family's service member dies in combat. The banners remind the public of the sacrifices being made by Americans at war, Blue Star Mother Pamela Moldenhauer said.

"For that little moment in time you're thinking of them, you really understand what sacrifice means, and you value your freedom more because you know that family has lost something so precious and that it was for us," Moldenhauer said.

Moldenhauer and Cindy Blankenship each offer unique perspectives as military veterans and mothers to multiple active-duty children. They assist many new military moms, but they, too, still struggle with each new tour of duty.

"You lose control as a parent and have no way to contact them when you're thinking about them," Blankenship said. "And if they're deployed, that's a whole different feeling of fear and terror."

Efforts by the public to collect care packages for troops are appreciated, Blankenship said, but there are other ways to acknowledge each family's sacrifice. For example, $15 sponsorships are being accepted toward the Wreaths Across America campaign, which seeks to provide a wreath on every military gravesite.

The tradition started at Arlington National Cemetery, but the Williamson County chapter is seeking outside donors to help cover Killeen's Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery with wreaths this Christmas.

"We're 30 people—there's 3,000 graves up there," Blankenship said. The wreaths will be laid out Dec. 15.

The duo hopes to recruit more mothers and even guide those parents assisting returning children who have combat-related stress disorders by offering counseling services separate from the organization.

"It's one of the best-kept secrets that when they come back, parents often resume the care-giving role," Moldenhauer said.

The more service flags flying, the more the public will become aware of the sacrifice each family gives for its country, they agreed.

"I'll be one of the first people to say bring them home, but not in an anti-war, anti-military way," Moldenhauer said. "I just want to bring them home and keep them safe."

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