About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 [1] (October 31, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goverdy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Seinace Inforrn ng the ag sative debate sice 1914 Defense Primer: Gold Star Designation ackground During the years of U.S. participation in World War I (WWI, 1917-1918), a service banner with a blue star was flown by some families to represent each family member in military service. The white field, edged with red, holds up to five stars. A practice developed that when a servicemember was killed or died the blue star would be replaced with a gold one. The Department of Defense (DOD) policy regarding display of the gold star on the Service Flag is contained in DOD Instruction ((DODI) 1348.36, Gold Star Lapel Button, Service Flag, and Service. The policy remains essentially unchanged, stating: If the Service member symbolized is killed or dies from causes other than dishonorable, the star representing that individual will have a gold star of smaller size superimposed on it, so that the blue forms a border. In a separate but related practice, President Woodrow Wilson approved a recommendation in May 1918 made by the Women's Committee of the Council for National Defense that American women should wear a black band on the upper left arm, affixed with a gold star to signify the loss of a family member during the war. President Wilson described such women as Gold Star Mothers in his letter to the Council. In October 1942, Congress passed Public Law 77-750 that authorized the Secretary of War to approve a standard design for a service flag and a service lapel button. Gold Star Lape utton (GSLB) The GSLB (also called the Gold Star Pin) was created in 1947, P.L. 80-306, as a means of identification for parents and widows of servicemembers who lost their lives in the U.S. armed services in WWII. The GSLB is a gold star on a field of purple surrounded by laurel leaves. See Table 1. Under 10 U.S.C. §1126(a), A lapel button, to be known as the gold star lapel button, shall be designed, as approved by the Secretary of Defense, to identify next of kin of members of the armed forces-(1) who lost their lives during World War I, World War II, or during any subsequent period of armed hostilities in which the United States was engaged before July 1, 1958; (2) who lost or lose their lives after June 30, 1958-(A) while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; (B) while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or (C) while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party against an opposing armed force; or (3) who lost or lose their lives after March 28, 1973, as a result of-(A) an international terrorist attack against the United States or a foreign nation friendly to the United States, recognized as such an attack by the Secretary of Defense; or (B) military operations while serving outside the United States (including the commonwealths, territories, Updated October 31, 2024 and possessions of the United States) as part of a peacekeeping force. Under 10 U.S.C. §1126(d)(1), The term next of kin means individuals standing in such relationship to members of the armed forces described in subsection (a) as the Secretaries concerned shall jointly specify in regulations for purposes of this section. See DODI 1348.36 in section 3.3. Families of servicemembers who died in circumstances other than those listed above may not be eligible for the Gold Star Lapel Button. However, they may be eligible to display a gold star on the Service Flag and may qualify for the Next of Kin Lapel Button. See DODI 1348.36 in sections 4.1- 4.3. Next of Kin Lapel Button Approved in 1973, the Next of Kin Lapel Button (also referred to as the Next of Kin Pin) is provided to the families of servicemembers who lost their lives while serving on active duty or while serving in a drill status as a member of the National Guard or Reserves in circumstance other than KIA. The Next of Kin Lapel Button is gold, with a star within a circle of sprigs of oak. According to DOD's A Survivor 's Guide to Benefits, The star within the circle commemorates honorable service and the sprigs of oak refer to the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. Table I. Gold Star Lapel Button (left) and Next of Kin Lapel Button (right) Source: Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) at https://www.taps.org/articles/1 5-2/goldstarpins and DODI 1348.36 in Section 3: Gold Star Lapel Button. Miltary Death BenefitS After the death of a servicemember on active duty, a casualty assistance officer is assigned by the respective military department to assist any surviving spouse, child(ren), or other designated beneficiaries, with all eligible benefits and entitlements. These generally include * $100,000 tax-exempt, lump sum, DOD death gratuity paid to designated beneficiaries. * Burial assistance including the disposition of remains and travel to the burial site for the servicemember's immediate family. * Any unpaid pay and allowances at the time of death. * Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) [for up to a year.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most