Gold Star Mothers to be honored

Myrtle Beach area resident Suella Reynolds found unexpected solace in her garden, a reminder of one of the Gold Star Mother’s three sons who was killed six years ago.

Her son United States Air Force Staff Sgt. Ross Edward Parsons, a 10-year veteran of USAF, had served five tours oversees before he was died in the U.S. – the result of a hit and run accident.

His death made Reynolds a member of Gold Star Mothers, Inc.,(www.goldstarmoms.com) a national organization founded in 1928 to honor and support mothers and families of children who have died while in military service, died as a result of that service or are missing in action.

On Friday, she will be honored along with other mothers and families on Gold Star Mothers Day, a designation given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938 for the last Sunday in September.

“The public is welcome to come, meet the families and hear their stories,” said Carol Dion, a founding member of Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina, another local group that is sponsoring the event.

“We have [approximately] eight Gold Star Moms and their families who will be attending and speaking,” Dion said.

The event is free.

The Blue Star Mothers is comprised of parents with children still serving the country in the United States armed forces with their focus often dedicated to providing support and honoring the Gold Star Mothers.

Reynolds also is a Blue Star member. Her other sons are Chief Warrant Officer Randy Parsons, an Apache helicopter pilot for South Carolina National Guard and Gary Parsons, who lives in Florida.

She understands and has experienced both the pride of two sons serving along with the sorrow of losing one.

The mother of three described family time together when the children were small that was often spent canning tomatoes, peaches and pears grown in their back yard.

“We always had a large garden,” she said, but eventually their absence left fewer hands to assist, “now I have a small one,” she said.

And it was one day when Reynolds was in that small garden she said she saw something that would become a symbolic reminder of her son Ross.

“I was on my hands and knees bawling my eyes out,” Reynolds said, “and a dragonfly landed on a tomato stake.”

Her son, Ross Edward Parsons was killed May 22, 2008, at age 29.

Soon after a memorial was held for Parsons, his mother said she was given a story known as the “Eulogy of a Dragonfly” or “Dragonfly Story.”

And it was through that the tale that it became the symbolic source of peace and comfort to a grieving Reynolds.

Reynolds recalls one day there were three or four [dragonflies] zipping around while she tended to her garden.

“Look Sue,” her husband Mike said. “Ross brought friends.”

Now as news of the threat and terror of Islamic State group extremists spreads, uncertainty looms and America waits.

The possibility of another military campaign could be determined by the outcome of President Obama’s plans to meet this week with fellow world leaders when he will seek support globally in an effort to confront the group that has seized over one third of Syria and Iraq.

For Dion and Reynolds, news of another battle could translate into one of the biggest fears a parent of a soldier could face.

Dion’s daughter has served 21 years as a combat medic with two tours to Iraq and two tours in Korea with hope of retiring soon.

As they are faced with the prospect of another battle that could result in the possibility of losing a child, and a second for Reynolds, one had mixed emotion while the other conceded it’s “by the grace of God” [she hasn’t experienced the grief of her friend] .

“Any of us could be that mother,” Dion said.

“Do I want to see it happen? No,” Reynolds said. “I don’t want to see any of our soldiers put in harms way.”

Lucy Dillon, whose son Cpl. Matthew V. Dillon of USMC, was killed in action Dec. 11, 2006, said “something’s got to be done.”

Dillon is treasurer for the South Carolina Chapter of Gold Star Mothers and said that group is working to raise money for a Gold Star Family monument to be displayed in Charleston.

She added that the Blue Star Mothers are joining and sponsoring the project hoping to make it a state-wide fundraising project they hope will serve as recognition and a reminder.

Anyone who wishes to donate can contact S.C. Gold Star Mothers, c/o Lucy Dillon, Treasurer, 561 Timberchase Lane, Aiken, SC 29803.

Those interested in learning more or attending Sunday’s banquet to honor Gold Star Mothers and their families can contact Carol Dion at proudarmymom@aol.com

This story was originally published September 21, 2014 at 9:56 PM with the headline "Gold Star Mothers to be honored."