From Militarytimes.com
The service organization created on behalf of mothers who lost children to military service may consider changing eligibility rules in the face of the growing coronavirus pandemic.
It’s an issue that came up for American Gold Star Mothers Inc. last month in a question from Military Times, after Army Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok died from coronavirus. As the virus attacks more personnel — a sailor aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt became the second service member and first active-duty troop to die — the issue is likely to become even more pressing.
Hickok, 57, was a traditional drilling Guardsman with the New Jersey National Guard, who was not on active duty orders at the time of his death, according to a spokeswoman. As such, were his mother still alive, she would not be eligible for membership in the organization founded in 1928 to provide support and comfort for grieving mothers of service members. Vivian Hickok died in 2004, according to her granddaughter, Shandrea Hickok.
To accommodate mothers whose children are not on active duty, “our membership organization will need to change criteria and guidelines on how we operate,” Mona Gunn, president of American Gold Star Mothers Inc. told Military Times. “It is something we may want to consider looking at.”
This would not be an issue for the mother of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt sailor, who died after contracting coronavirus aboard ship. He was on active duty at the time, and as such, his mother, if alive, would be eligible to join the organization.
Interest in ammending the rules will likely only increase as the active status of National Guard troops fluctuates amid an ever-present risk of contracting the virus. As of Monday morning, more than 2,550 service members had tested positive for coronavirus, including more than 500 Guard troops.
Gunn, 67, of Norfolk, Virginia, knows all too well the pain that comes with losing a child to military service, and says joining the organization has helped her immensely.
Her son, Navy SMSN Cherone Gunn, was one of the 17 sailors killed in the terrorist attack onboard the destroyer Cole on October 12, 2000.
“He followed his dad’s footsteps by joining the Navy,” said Gunn. “My husband had a very successful 21-year career in the U.S. Navy. My son’s time in the Navy was nine months and the attack happened on his first deployment. He was 22 years old and one of four boys.”
Read the full piece at Militarytimes.com
