Blue Star Memorial (Robins AFB, Georgia)

Houston County, GA

This tribute belongs to the Gold Star tradition, in which the families of service members killed in the line of duty are honored with a gold star—a practice that grew out of the service flags of the World War era, when a blue star marked a loved one at war and a gold star marked one who did not return. Placed in Houston County near Robins Air Force Base and its Museum of Aviation, it was sponsored by the Greenbriar Garden Club with the Garden Club of Georgia. Markers like this turn a quiet roadside into a place of remembrance for the cost borne by military families.

Macon, GA

This is a Blue Star Memorial, part of a nationwide program begun by the National Garden Clubs in 1945 to honor the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. What started as a highway beautification effort planted with dogwoods after World War II grew into thousands of these markers along roads, in parks, and at veterans' sites across the country. The blue star itself echoes the service flags that families hung in their windows for loved ones in uniform.

Macon, GA

This Blue Star Memorial Highway marker near Macon honors the U.S. Armed Forces and singles out Colonel Benjamin H. Purcell for recognition. Placed by the Meadowbrook Garden Club with the Garden Club of Georgia, it joins a national network of blue-star tributes to those who have defended the country. The dedication personalizes the memorial by naming a local officer's service.

Gray, GA

Blue Star Memorials date to 1945, when New Jersey garden clubs planted blue-star dogwoods along a highway to honor World War II troops; the program spread nationwide to honor all who have served. In Gray, the Gray Garden Club joined a local Better Hometown group, a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Garden Club of Georgia to place this marker. The blue star recalls the service banners families displayed during wartime.