A Gold Star Mom says thank you
September 8, 2013
On August 26, I had the privilege of attending the Medal of Honor ceremony of Sergeant Ty Carter in Washington, D.C.

Sgt. Carter was serving with my son, Sergeant Joshua Kirk, at Command Outpost Keating in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, when, on the morning of October 3, 2009, they awakened to an attack of an estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on all four sides of COP Keating.

During the eleven hour battle that ensued, eight men, including my son, lost their lives; nearly all of the remaining 44 were wounded. However, they were not the only casualties that day.

Eight mothers and fathers became Gold Star families, four women became widows, five children became fatherless.

Attending this ceremony was made possible for me by the generous donations of the many in this wonderful community, who have not only embraced me and my family in our time of grief, but continue to remember Joshua's life and legacy.

There are no words adequate to express how your loving support of my family continues daily to  impact our lives.

Since my return I have been asked, "what was the highlight of my trip?"

Was it meeting the President, dining in the White House, attending the induction ceremony at the Pentagon?

While these were certainly memorable experiences and not soon to be forgotten, I will forever cherish the memory of looking into the eyes of my granddaughter for the first time and seeing my son looking back at me.

My heart is also filled with gratitude at being able to spend time with the Keating mothers. While the soldiers that day may have been a band of brothers, we are truly a band of mothers, and being able to spend time together does help ease the deep burden of loss we all carry each and every day.

These are the gifts your generous support gave to me; these are the gifts I will treasure.

Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Bernadette Kirk-Bonner
Proud Gold Star Mother of Sergeant Joshua John Kirk