Gold Star Family Memorial Monument
This Memorial Monument is dedicated to area Gold Star Families who have lost a loved one due to military service. Located on the west end of Town Square Park in St. George, Utah, it is easily accessible to the public. Photo courtesy Your Content Queen 2022

Who:

The Gold Star Memorial Monument is intended to honor immediate family members of soldiers who died due to military service.

What:

A two-sided tribute made of black granite featuring four panels on one side dedicated to the homeland, family, patriots, and sacrifice. The other side features the monument's name. At the center is the silhouette of a saluting service member.

Where:

Town Square Park
50 South Main Street
St. George UT 84770

This memorial is in a park setting. It is surrounded by green grass, bronze statues, a carousel, a splash pad, historic buildings, and more.

When:

Wednesday 10 a.m - 7:30 p.m
Thursday 10 a.m - 7:30 p.m
Friday 9 a.m - 10 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m - 10 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m - 7:30 p.m
Monday 10 a.m - 7:30 p.m
Tuesday 10 a.m - 7:30 p.m

How much: 

Free

On a rare blustery spring day in St. George, Utah’s Town Park, three women admired a new Gold Star Memorial Monument in Town Square Park. If the intention behind the polished black, granite sculpture was to inspire remembrance, it worked.

Person standing in front of Gold Star Family Memorial Monument St George Utah
Tiffany Porter admires the surroundings around a new Memorial Monument dedicated to area Gold Star Families who have lost a loved one due to military service. Located on the west end of Town Square Park in St. George, Utah, it is easily accessible to the public. Photo courtesy Your Content Queen 2022

“I lost my brother, Heber W. Nelson during WWII. I think it was on the island of Leyte,” Pearl Hafen said. Hafen and her daughter, LaVeryl Porter, and granddaughter Tiffany Porter had come to admire the monument officially unveiled on March 26.

Private First Class Heber Nelson served in the US Army during WWII. He was killed in action on Nov. 23, 1944, during a battle at Leyte, Philippines. He was 21.

“[He] is among the 2,866 American Gold Star casualties recorded in our archive with close ties to Utah. This is a substantial number of individuals who gave their lives in service to their country,” according to a biography published on HonorStates.org. The organization focuses on the decades from WWI through the Vietnam War.

Pearl Hafen shook her head and recalled, “All the men he was with were killed.”

Monument a sign of commitment, love, gratitude

“This monument is a sign of commitment, love, and gratitude from our community to our Gold Star Families,” said St. George Mayor Michele Randall. “It is a promise that we will always remember the price their loved ones paid and never ignore the heartbreak Gold Star Families endure.” St. George City published his remarks in a March 16 press release.

The “Gold Star” designation goes to families who have lost a loved one due to their military service. Many died in combat. Some were lost to an accident in training. And there are those who, sadly, end up taking their own lives because of post-traumatic stress, the city’s statement said.

The project was inspired by a national chain of memorials across the country with the Woody Williams Foundation. The Gold Star Family Memorial was designed by Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel “Woody" Williams to remember those families who have made the ultimate sacrifice, according to a website dedicated to the project at WoodyWilliams.org. It is a two-sided tribute made of black granite. One side bears the words: “Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, a tribute to Gold Star Families and Relatives who sacrificed a Loved One for our Freedom.”

The other side tells a story across four granite panels: “Homeland, Family, Patriot, and Sacrifice.” A statement published by the Woody Williams Foundation said, “At the center of this tribute, is the silhouette of a saluting service member which represents the Legacy of the Loved Ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our Freedom. Together, these features tell each community's unique story based upon the Pillars of the Foundation.”