DU QUOIN, IL (WSIL) - 'Say their name," Sheila Tracy says, choking back tears.
Sheila is a Gold Star Mother from Palestine, Illinois. Her son, Army Pfc. Jacob T. Tracy was killed in the line of duty on June 18, 2007, serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. After our interview, she's embraced by Gaye Eisenhower, another Gold Star Mother from Pinckneyville, Illinois.
The women are being honored for their sacrifice at Veteran's Day at the Du Quoin State Fair.
'Say their name,' is the mission of the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters on the home front. To be a Gold Star family member is to have lost a service member while serving in active conflict.
Both Tracy and Eisenhower say no one wants to be a member of the Gold Start family until they have to be.
"We adopted him (Jacob) when he was five years old, so he was a blessing to our family right from the get go," says Tracy. "You never think anything will happen to your child."
Gaye's son, Army Pfc. Wyatt Eisenhower, was killed in the line of duty on May 19, 2005, serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"He said that he had a good life and he wanted to give back," says Eisenhower. "Wyatt was born on Flag Day, he was killed on Armed Forces Day and we buried him on Memorial Day."
We asked both women what goes through a mother's mind when her son tells her he plans to enlist.
"There’s fear that comes with it," explains Tracy. "It’s always in the back of your mind but you don’t want to think about it."
"It's a double-edged sword," Eisenhower says. "How do you weigh the pride and the fear? They’re both there."
Tracy and Eisenhower say they're thankful they've found each other as part of the Gold Star Family.
"It’s someplace that we can be safe with our emotions," Tracy says. "We’ve lost our word and we don’t know how to act."
Eisenhower agrees, "They don’t think you’re crazy because of what you feel and what’s going on, they understand."
Terry Prince is the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and a Navy veteran, having served at 14 different duty stations around the world. Prince and his team helped put together Veteran's Day at the Du Quoin State Fair.
"They’ve given a loved one for our freedom and we owe them every possible effort," Prince says of Gold Star families. "It’s an astronomical task," he says of putting the Veterans Day Events together. "But service isn’t a word, it’s an action."
Quiet nods and hugs are exchanged as families and Veterans take their seats inside the Expo Center for the Celebration of Life Tribute and the Rose Ceremony. Two World War II veterans, each one 97 years old, lead the crowd in the singing of the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance.
"It’s always an honor to come together and celebrate our Veterans," says Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton (D), a guest speaker. "Because of them we have our freedom, because of them we have our safety."
"These families are special, not only because they’ve suffered a terrible sacrifice but also because they stand up for the other families and the veterans all across our state," says Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D), another guest speaker.
Both Lt. Governor Stratton and Governor Pritzker were part of the Rose Ceremony-a solemn procession where a fallen service member's name is called and their family places a yellow rose at the feet of the Battlefield Cross.
"My son and all of our fallen heroes will never be forgotten," says Tracy. "Say their name."
"We take what would seem to be ordinary men and they go into service and they come home extraordinary people," says Eisenhower.
WSIL is happy and proud to sponsor Veteran's Day at the Du Quoin State Fair and want to sincerely thank all of our service men and women and their families.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has officially proclaimed August 29, 2021 as Veterans' Day at the Du Quoin State Fair.
