Mona Gunn: American Gold Star Mother Walking on Sacred Soil To Honor The Fallen 

By L. Ceri Mundrati
NJG Summer Intern
New Journal and Guide

American Gold Star Mothers is just two years away from celebrating its 100th anniversary. As the milestone approaches, the organization is making history through its revived Sacred Soil Tour, with Gold Star Mother Mona Gunn of Hampton Roads helping lead the way.

Founded in 1928, the American Gold Star Mothers (AGSM) has spent nearly a century bringing together mothers whose children died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The organization provides support, fellowship and opportunities for service while honoring the lives and legacies of the nation’s fallen military members.

“Nobody knows what it’s like to lose a child in the military unless you’ve had a child killed in the military,” said Mona Gunn, who served as national president of the American Gold Star Mothers from 2019 to 2020.

A Norfolk native and graduate of both Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University, Gunn dedicated 28 years to Norfolk Public Schools as an elementary school teacher and principal before retiring in 2006. It was during her second year as principal at Fairlawn Elementary School that her life changed forever.

“The loss of a child never leaves you,” Gunn said.

On Oct. 12, 2000, Gunn’s middle son, Cherone Louis Gunn, was killed in the USS Cole bombing. The terrorist attack claimed the lives of 17 U.S. sailors and injured 37 others when al-Qaida suicide bombers struck the guided-missile destroyer while it was refueling in the Port of Aden, Yemen. The attack occurred less than a year before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and is widely recognized as one of the deadliest attacks against the U.S. military before 9/11.

Born on Valentine’s Day, Cherone Gunn embodied the spirit of the holiday, his mother recalled. Every year, she celebrated his birthday with a heart-shaped cake. One year, he surprised her with a 14-karat gold ring that spelled “Mom” inside a heart — a gift she still treasures as one of her most meaningful reminders of her son.

“He was the kind of child who loved helping people and serving those around him,” Gunn said.

Known as a devoted son with a servant’s heart, Cherone Gunn was active in his community from an early age. He played quarterback on his football team at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach and was nominated for homecoming king. After graduating, he continued working in service-oriented jobs while looking for ways to give back to those around him.

“I just wanted him to do whatever was going to make him happy since he was always making sure everyone around him was happy,” Gunn said.

Eventually, Cherone decided he wanted to work in law enforcement as a State Trooper. Following in his father’s footsteps, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a signalman, responsible for visual communications aboard ship, including raising and lowering the American flag. He was just nine months into his military service when he was killed at age 22.

“I had to create a new normal,” Gunn says. “There were good days, bad days, days you don’t want to be bothered with people. But through the grace of God, I made it through.”

Cherone Gunn was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

Four years after burying her son, Gunn came across a newspaper article about the American Gold Star Mothers. As she read about the organization, she realized that she, too, was a Gold Star Mother. She decided to attend the organization’s local convention.

“I walked in there and saw that there were other mothers who had gone through what I went through,” Gunn said.

For nearly a century, the American Gold Star Mothers has remained committed to honoring the lives and legacies of the nation’s fallen service members and supporting the families they left behind.

That mission is reflected in the organization’s Sacred Soil Tour, a project rooted in a piece of history that dates back nearly 100 years.

In 1929, French World War I veterans collected soil from battlefields where American troops fought and died and placed it inside the Sacred Soil Marker at Arlington National Cemetery as a symbol of friendship, remembrance and sacrifice. Between 1930 and 1933, the U.S. government sponsored more than 6,600 Gold Star mothers and widows on pilgrimages to Europe, allowing them to visit the overseas graves of their loved ones. Although those mothers retraced the battlefields where their children fought, the original Sacred Soil Marker eventually deteriorated and was removed in 1938.

This year, the American Gold Star Mothers revived that history through the Sacred Soil Tour. Traveling to France in May, a small group of Gold Star Mothers collected sacred soil from World War I battlefields to help restore the original 1929 marker at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) while honoring the legacy of the mothers who made the historic pilgrimages nearly a century ago.

On their return to America, Gunn was one of five Moms from the tour to participate in the Rededication Ceremony in ANC in July where they placed miniature markers containing the soil collected in France.

“It was more than just a tour,” Gunn said. “It was a journey.”

Gunn was one of only a handful of Gold Star Mothers selected to participate in the trip to France. She represented the U.S. Navy and was the only Black Gold Star Mother in the group.

Throughout the journey, Gunn retraced the path traveled by the original Gold Star Mothers while honoring both her son and service members whose families were unable to participate in the government-sponsored pilgrimages of the 1930s. During the tour, she was presented with an American flag recognizing Cherone Gunn’s service as a Navy signalman.

Each participating mother was paired with one or more fallen World War I service members whose mothers did not make the original pilgrimages. Their mission was to collect soil from battlefields connected to each service member’s sacrifice, ensuring their stories would also be remembered.

Gunn was assigned to honor Naval Reserve Force Theodore Clark, who died when his ship was sunk in 1918 after enlisting in Norfolk earlier that year. She also honored Sgt. William Earnest, a graduate of the University of Illinois and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Because Gunn’s husband is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi and she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., she said the connection made the experience especially meaningful.

For Gunn, collecting the sacred soil was about more than preserving history.

“It’s hallowed ground, and the soil is a reminder that every grave represents a life of promise and a family that has been forever changed,” she said.

While participating in the Sacred Soil Tour was one of the most meaningful experiences of her life, Gunn said her commitment to the American Gold Star Mothers extends far beyond a single journey.

After joining the organization, she realized there was no chapter serving the Hampton Roads region. At the time, the nearest chapter was in Alexandria.

In 2008, Gunn met George Lutz, a Gold Star father whose son’s death inspired him to establish Honor and Remember, a nonprofit dedicated to recognizing every American service member who died in military service. Receiving an Honor and Remember Flag from Lutz inspired Gunn to establish a local chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers. Her efforts led to the chartering of the Hampton Roads chapter in 2009.

Gunn would later make history herself. In nearly a century of the organization’s existence, she became the first Black woman elected national president of the American Gold Star Mothers. She remains the only African American woman to have held the position.

The milestone carries special significance for Gunn because, in nearly a century of the organization’s history, she became the first Black woman elected national president of the American Gold Star Mothers. She hopes her election not only honors the sacrifices African Americans have made throughout U.S. military history but also encourages the organization to reflect the diverse families of the nation’s fallen service members.

“It was important for me to represent these communities as national president,” Gunn said. “As the American Gold Star Mothers continues to grow, we need to ask ourselves, ‘Does the face of this organization look like the faces of the fallen?'”

Gunn said she feels a responsibility to help make the organization more inclusive. She hopes to connect with Gold Star Mothers in underrepresented communities across the country who may benefit from the fellowship, support and resources the organization provides.

“I do not want my legacy to be the first and only African American president of this organization,” Gunn said.

Instead, she hopes to inspire more women from diverse backgrounds to become involved so the organization continues to reflect the families it serves.

Now serving as co-chair of the American Gold Star Mothers Centennial Committee, Gunn is helping prepare the organization for its 100th anniversary in 2028. Alongside fellow committee members, she is working to educate the public about the organization’s history and mission while encouraging more families, volunteers and supporters to become involved.

“An organization like this is only as good as its members—the boots on the ground,” Gunn said. “Our chapters are working to become more involved through event planning and providing services.”

From preserving history and participating in memorial ceremonies honoring fallen service members to organizing community displays and planning the organization’s centennial gala, the committee hopes the 2028 celebration will not only commemorate a century of service but also strengthen support for Gold Star families for generations to come.

For more information about the American Gold Star Mothers, including membership, donations and upcoming events, visit the organization’s website or contact Gunn at gsmoms1012@gmail.com.