Dedication ceremony set for memorial honoring July 16 attack victims

Along thousands of miles of roadways and parks throughout the country, blue and gold star memorials have been erected to honor the sacrifices of America's service men and women, and on Friday Chattanooga will get one more.

The Garden Club of Tennessee's 3rd District has organized a public event that afternoon to commemorate the placement of a gold star plaque to honor the victims of the July 16, 2015, terrorist attack. The plaque will be located in the Tennessee Riverpark on Amnicola Highway, not far from the Naval Reserve where the men were killed.

"It's an amazing event. It truly is," said Candace Chazen, director of the Garden Club.

The public event will begin at 5:30 p.m. and include a rifle salute, as well as statements from veterans and local public officials in support of the memorial.

Chazen said the blue star has its origins in the homes of families who sent loved ones to fight in World War II. Banners would be hung in the windows to honor their service, and in 1945 the National Council of State Garden Clubs used that as a starting point to launch the network of Blue Star memorials that exists today.

"Once you see one, you'll see them everywhere," Chazen said. "I think the memorial is unique because it's so very personal. It comes from homes. This originated in people's windows."

"The Blue Star became an icon in World War II and was seen on flags and banners in homes for sons and daughters away at war, and in churches and businesses," reads an online message about the memorial on the National Gardens Club website.

"This program has been active all through the years to the present, a fitting tribute to our Armed Forces and especially now."

According to Chazen, the local club was approached by the families of the servicemembers who died in Chattanooga almost two years ago, and because those men lost their lives, the memorial that will be set up Friday will be a gold star memorial.

"It's honoring these five, but it's also really honoring all that have passed away," she said.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke speaks during a press conference about the the Chattanooga Heroes Run as Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger stands by at the Hubert Fry Center on Mon., June 5, 2017, at the Tennessee Riverpark in Chattanooga, Tenn. Participants will begin the 5-mile course at the Naval Operational Support Center and Marine Corps Reserve Center and walk by the location on the Riverpark reserved for the eventual memorial before ending at the Hubert Fry Center.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke will speak at the event on Friday, and on Tuesday he said the marker is an important step in processing the memories of that day.

"The ways we remember the Fallen Five are important to the healing of our community, to the families who mourn, and to future generations who will learn the history of what happened and how Chattanooga responded," he wrote in an email.

"This Gold Star marker is a unique and meaningful tribute that will memorialize our brave heroes and help ensure our community never forgets July 16th."

Chazen said she would like to see as many people as possible. She said her own son served in Afghanistan, so markers such as the gold star memorial are especially important to her and other families who have seen those close to them leave, never knowing if they would come back.

"I've got scabs on my knees from prayers," she said. "I pray all the time for these men and women that are over there that are serving and have served and return home because they're never the same."

Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.