JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The holidays can be difficult for people who’ve lost loved ones.
Sailors and counselors at Naval Air Station Jacksonville are trying to help with a special ceremony for local Gold Star families.
Those are people who’ve lost loved ones on active duty.
There are currently 90 Gold Star families in the Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties.
On Thursday afternoon, base leaders invited the families to a Christmas tree lighting. It’s a sign of hope, unity and support.
“My husband is on this Christmas tree. He passed away back in 2015,” said Takima Porter-Roach.
Petty Officer Clarence Roach died while on active duty. His wife and kids now use the Gold Star Center.
The Recker family, with five children, is still getting used to the holidays without Petty Officer Jason Recker. He died of cardiac arrest a year ago.
“We know it was God’s will,” his wife Melissa Recker said. “We just have to believe that God needed him for a better purpose and we adopted the saying that heaven was needing a hero and that hero was him.”
The resources at the center, which is part of the base’s family support services, range from financial advice to fun activities to seminars to trips.
“You want to try to bring healing and just let these families come together and share some of the sad times but try to bring some light into the situation and let them know they’re not forgotten,” said Kenneth Moreland, who runs the Gold Star program throughout Florida and the Caribbean.
Regional Gold Star coordinator Rufus Bundridge said the bonding, friendship and advice go a long way.
They’re not forgotten, and families learn it’s OK to smile and laugh and remember the good times in honor of their loved ones.
Johnny Causey’s smile lights up the room. He has made friends through the grief of losing his wife Cmdr. Aquilla Causey to cancer eight years ago.
“The only way to understand it is to be in the same shoes as someone,” he said. “And who better to understand it as someone who has had the loss of a husband or wife a son or a daughter? Basically, it’s about the camaraderie, helping and building each other stronger.”
The holidays aren’t the same without their loved ones, but together they can remember the good times and help each other get through the hard times.