American Gold Star Mothers (AGSM)

AMERICAN GOLD STAR MOTHERS -  American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. (AGSM), is a private nonprofit organization of American mothers who lost sons or daughters in service of the United States Armed Forces.  It was originally formed in 1928 for mothers of those lost in World War I, and it holds a congressional charter under Title 36 § 211 of the United States Code.   Its name came from the custom of families of servicemen hanging a banner called a Service Flag in the windows of their homes.  The Service Flag had a star for each family member in the Armed Forces.  Living servicemen were represented by a blue star, and those who had lost their lives in combat were represented by a gold star.

Membership in the organization is open to any woman who is a U.S. citizen or legal resident that has lost a son or daughter in active service in the U.S. military (regardless of the place or time of the military service, regardless of whether the circumstances of death involved hostile conflict or not, and including mothers of those missing in action).