Earlier this year, Farm Bureau Insurance donated $2,500 to the Idaho Gold Star Families Memorial Monument Foundation.

 

Farm Bureau's donation covered the costs for commemorative coins given to Gold Star families at the monument's dedication ceremony on May 28.

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The monument, located in Pocatello, is the first Gold Star memorial in Idaho.

 

Gold Star monuments are permanent tributes to the brave service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and to those they left behind.

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The article below about Farm Bureau's donation originally appeared in the Idaho State Journal on May 28, 2021.

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Dedication For Gold Star Families Memorial Monument In Pocatello Set For Today

The Idaho Gold Star Families Memorial Monument will be unveiled during a dedication ceremony on Friday.

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One of the speakers at the 1 p.m. dedication will be Hershel “Woody” Williams. The 97-year-old is the last surviving Marine Medal of Honor recipient of World War II and his Kentucky-based organization, the Hershel “Woody” Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, has been instrumental in helping the Idaho Gold Star Families Memorial Monument become a reality.

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The dedication of the monument at 1775 Gold Star Drive off Olympus Drive in the Northgate area of Pocatello is invitation only because of space limitations but the public can watch a video feed of the event at the Portneuf Wellness Complex Amphitheatre.

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The dedication can also be viewed online at youtu.be/cHo-iH-Cmiw.

Free shuttle buses at the Portneuf Wellness Complex Amphitheatre will transport anyone interested in seeing the monument from 2:15 to 5 p.m. Friday following the dedication. The shuttle bus ride is less than five minutes to the monument.

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Special coins commemorating the dedication have been purchased by the Idaho Farm Bureau for the event and will be distributed to invitees.

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The Farm Bureau recently announced that it paid $2,500 for the coins.

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“On behalf of the Farm Bureau we are delighted to support the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument and their dedication ceremony,” said Todd Argall, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Idaho.

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The Farm Bureau stands for and believes in everything that the military has fought for and has sacrificed for throughout the history of the United States, he said.

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Freedom, liberty — all of these core values of our country are aligned with the core values of the Farm Bureau, according to Argall.

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“We have a long history of supporting the military through our Veterans Day celebrations, which we hope to bring back again this year,” he said.

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At a recent Farm Bureau event in Pocatello at which the commemorative coins were unveiled, Rebecca Webb, chairperson of the Idaho Gold Star Families Memorial Monument Committee, told a story about the true value of the coins.

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Webb, who lost her son while he was in the Idaho Army National Guard, was with her husband during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

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She said that while they were there a couple of generals came up and handed them an Arlington commemorative coin and also talked to them about the loss of their son.

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“And you know it meant something to us,” Webb said. “So I know these coins will mean something to the Gold Star families.”

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The Farm Bureau has a history of giving out coins for veteran celebrations as special keepsakes for the families and attendees at those events, Argall said.

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The Farm Bureau is pleased to support the creation of the Idaho Gold Star Families Memorial Monument to honor those who have fallen and their families, Argall said.

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Webb says she’s very grateful for all the help that the monument effort received from the Farm Bureau.

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“I’m grateful to you, I’m grateful to the community at large,” she said to Argall at the recent Farm Bureau event.

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But Webb emphasizes that the original idea for the Idaho Gold Star Families Memorial Monument came from Williams, the last living Marine World War II veteran to wear the Medal of Honor.

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Webb said the community and everybody who’s behind the monument and has supported it in one way or another is sending a message to Gold Star families that they’ve not been forgotten.

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“And thank you for that,” she said.

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For more information on the Idaho Gold Star Families Memorial Monument visit idahogoldstarmemorial.com.

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