About Honor States : American Gold Star Veterans

Honoring the States they Called Home

Furthermore, we thank each state that uniquely contributed and sacrificed during wartime. This site has been created to honor those who gave all, and to honor their home, residency and enlistment states.

Americans are known for their diversity and unique characters. They struggle to live within manmade and natural boundaries. There is a fondness for expanding beyond the horizon. Searching for new roots. Homesick at times when travels are too far, for too long.

Wherever Americans go in the world, when asked, "where is home", most have a ready answer in the heart. For generations of Americans asked to serve overseas, and for their families, "making it back home" was their greatest wish.

Helping Heal a Wounded Nation

When we work together to honor our fallen, we heal our communities, our country, together. Our divisions; political, social, spiritual, become sails instead of anchors.

Loneliness, depression, anxiety, addiction, poverty, discrimination, grief of loss, trauma, anger, PTSD. Millions of us struggle each day. When we take even small actions, together with others, for the benefit of all, it can be therapeutic in easing physical and psychological pain.

Brief History of Honor States

Honor States was conceived and established in 2014 as a primary archive on behalf of the people of the United States. This is a non-governmental initiative with fundamental support from private organizations. We are now in our 5th generation of technology and data management. All work is custom coded by our in-house development team.

Our origen story? Our founder is a serial entrepreneur with a special interest in historical archives. On June 6, 2014, he was taking a rare day off. Relaxing on a beach in San Diego. Coincidently, it was the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

Our founder was troubled by the irony of his fun day on a beach, contrasted against that terrifying day on the beaches of Normandy. He vowed to do more for those who fought to defend others, but never made it back home.

Evolution towards the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans

Over the past several years, our substantial database has evolved into the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans. This is a subtle yet symbolic declaration of our determination to create lasting honest value.

Let's break down that tounge-twisting title. National in range, obviously. Unified Archive, as it's an amalgam of many legacy archives. Historically, each service branch has sustained records of enlistees and casualties. Each branch maintaining data grains unique to their mission. American Gold Star Veterans is a phrase that's declarative of it's defined scope.

War Eras Covered

Since the founding of the United States, Americans have seen action in major wars and minor conflicts. Generations of American families lost loved ones in the fog and rubble of conflict.

Our core focus is on four of the wars that have been responsible for the majority of deadly casualties for American service members in the 20th century. Both World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Over half a million American lives lost. It is our intention to eventually expand to include post-Vietnam conflicts. In particular the Gulf War and Global War on Terror.

Essential Organizational Supporters

Honor States depends on the generous help of our national and state supporters. It requires enormous levels of human labor and time to collect and verify names, photos, service and casualty details, etc.

This initiative would be impossible without their considerable contributions towards our goal. To ensure the legacies of American Gold Star casualties are carefully archived for today's generations, and those of the future.

Essential Team Volunteers

Building the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans is a team effort. You are invited to join our volunteer team and become a Guardian of Honor. It's easy to do. Your level of commitment is up to you. Most people find the simplest way to be involved is through our fact checking + research program. It's a fun + meaningful way to play an active role in crafting history. It's a legacy impacting generations of yesterday, today + tomorrow.