Lawton’s Gold Star Families monument unveiled at Lake Helen

Vicky Flores was there for her son. Linda Venkendorf was there for her father.

So were at least 200 other people, all watching expectantly as the result of three years worth of work was uncovered Wednesday as the black granite of the nation’s 133rd Gold Star Families monument gleamed from the banks of Lake Helen in Elmer Thomas Park. It was a picture-perfect day with bright sun and warm temperatures, and maybe that was the way God intended it to be, said Flores. Flores is a member of the core group that worked with the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation and coordinated numerous entities and individuals in the community to turn an idea into a site that honors active duty personnel who gave their lives in service to their country.

Winter weather caused some concerns and delays as that core group worked to finalize a dedication ceremony originally planned for early January, when it would have been extremely cold. That wasn’t a problem Wednesday, and numerous people came to listen and watch as the city’s newest monument was unveiled.

“Emotional,” Flores said about the monument that will honor her loss and the sacrifice her son Wilfred “Willie” Flores Jr. made when he died in 2007 from wounds sustained during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She said organizers were surprised by the number of people present Wednesday.

It was a mixed crowd, ranging from members of veterans-related motorcycle clubs such as U.S. Military Vets, to the Combat Vets Association, to VFW members, to long-retired veterans and young active duty personnel in uniform, to community leaders, to residents who just wanted to pay their respects to the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

Mayor Stan Booker called the monument a symbol that extends beyond its beauty and a site that invites reflection “on those we have lost.” Col. James Peay, Fort Sill garrison commander, said the monument is a tribute to those who must carry on “after losing a part of themselves”. Local businessman Mike Brown, the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, said the monument stands in recognition of the sacrifice military families have made.

“The Lawton-Fort Sill Community always vows to never forget,” he said.

Flores said she was awed by the number of people who came to watch the unveiling.

“My heart is so full,” she said of those who supported Gold Star Families by their presence, adding that like other members of the coordinating committee, she wondered several times over the years whether the project would come to fruition.

Wednesday’s event proved it had — and the community’s reaction touched her heart, she said.

Venkendorf said she and her mother, Alice Shackelford, came from Apache to ensure they were present for the unveiling. She said they were there for her father Odell, a military veteran who died in 2017.

“It makes us feel good,” Venkendorf said of the ceremony and outpouring of community emotion that spoke to her heart. “Military families sacrifice a lot, as much as their military members do.”

And, Venkendorf said she loves the setting along Lake Helen’s shoreline, a site that coordinator Brenda Spencer-Ragland said was deliberately selected for its quietness. Spencer-Ragland said while the monument will provide a teaching moment — telling the story of Gold Star families — it also will provide a quiet place of reflection for those family members.

Spencer-Ragland said the initial spark for Lawton’s monument came from Vicky Flores and her wife, Vickie Johnson-Flores, who came to see her three years ago with “a proposal.” She said Vicky Flores, who is retired Army, provided a firm push.

“When she says, ‘Say yes,’ you say yes,” Spencer-Ragland said, of a project that began with the three and expanded the core committee, then to community leaders such as Booker, Brown, and local banker and community leader Mark Henry.

It also involved entities such as McMahon Foundation, which donated toward the fund and paid for the site setup, monument placement and sidewalks. And it included numerous individual donations, to include what she called the backbone: Gold Star families themselves.

Mark Harris, president/CEO of the Herschel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, knows about sacrifice. Like his grandfather Woody Williams, Harris was a Marine (the last time he was at Fort Sill was as a trainee). In his case, he spent time handling casualty calls and accompanying the bodies of dead Marines home.

“There is nothing like it in the world,” he said.