Veteran Salutes a Forgotten Group of Mothers

THOUSAND OAKS —  A veteran of the Vietnam War, Robert K. Hammer said he noticed a long time ago that some of the greatest patriots in American history--the mothers who lost their sons and daughters in military service--were sometimes forgotten.

So the Newbury Park resident decided 10 years ago that, in his own way, he would do something special to show some of those unsung heroines--the American Gold Star Mothers--that there were people who remembered their sacrifice.

Ever since, Hammer, a 46-year-old investment banker who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1994, and his wife, Malinda, have been raising money year-round to send groups of Gold Star Mothers to see the veterans’ monuments of Washington, D.C., for Mother’s Day. To date, 39 women have made the all-expenses-paid trip.

Four Southern California women are in the nation’s capital today due to the gratitude of Hammer and those who gave him money. About 90% of the donations have come from Ventura County.

“This is a forgotten group of warriors,” Hammer said. “But I haven’t forgotten about them. I don’t think there’s any better compliment than helping those who made the ultimate sacrifice, losing one of their loved ones for the good of the country.”

Founded in 1928, the American Gold Star Mothers was once a well-known organization. Today, its membership has dwindled to 3,000 and many people do not even know it exists.

During World War I, a blue star was used to represent each man or woman in U.S. military service. Mothers would place their blue stars on their windows for everyone to see, a sign that they, too, were a part of the war effort.

If the son or daughter returned home alive, the blue star would be taken down. Otherwise, the mother would put a gold star in place of the blue star so the neighborhood would know of the family’s sacrifice.

After World War II and the Korean War, many women joined the American Gold Star Mothers. But after the unpopular Vietnam War, patriotism was at an all-time low, and most mothers who lost children in the conflict chose not to be associated with the organization.

Martha Arnold of Thousand Oaks, whose son Patrick Golliher died in Vietnam in 1969, was among the small group who felt differently. She is now president of the Oxnard Chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers, which covers all of Ventura County, and she believes men like Hammer are rare nowadays.

“It’s really terrific,” she said. “I mean, what can we say? For a man like that to take an interest in us is so nice. It’s good to know that we are being remembered.

“He does it out of his heart, for the mothers.”

Arnold has helped Hammer in his efforts to raise money and drum up publicity for the Washington, D.C., trips, which are awarded only to women who, due to lack of money or other circumstances, have never made the trip.

She will act as a chaperon for the next group of Gold Star Mothers, which will come exclusively from Ventura County.

“It’s so impressive to go back there and see your son or daughter’s name on the wall,” Arnold said, referring to the Vietnam War Memorial. “To see veterans and have them call you mom, to actually touch the wall, it’s something every mother should do.”

Ed Holt of Thousand Oaks, who worked with Hammer when he was an executive with First Interstate Bank, has donated money over the years to help the Gold Star Mothers go to Washington.

He said he is amazed that after years of giving speeches at booster clubs and tapping people for cash, Hammer, a former Marine, has still not lost his enthusiasm for the cause.

“It’s really a labor of love for him, because all the donations are small,” Holt said. “I think it’s a remarkable, sustained, very intense commitment. He’s just very dedicated to helping out the Gold Star Mothers.”

FYI

For information on contributing to the next Washington, D.C., trip, call Hammer at 499-8548. Anyone interested in joining the county chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers should call Martha Arnold at 497-8813.