TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – If you were asked, \u201cWhy do we have Memorial Day,\u201d would you know the answer?<\/p>\n
A survey<\/a>, with 2,000 Americans last year, showed just 48% answered correctly.<\/p>\n That percentage dropped even further when the question was posed to Millennials and Gen Z-ers. <\/p>\n Those stats didn\u2019t sit well with a group of Tallahassee women. So this year, they\u2019re making it their mission to educate people about the meaning behind Memorial Day. <\/p>\n Lance Corporal Daniel Chaires was killed in action in Iraq on October 25, 2006.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just wanted to experience a little bit more life before he settled down,\u201d Daniel\u2019s mother, Nan Cutchens said.<\/p>\n Private Jaivion Hawkins died in Anchorage, Alaska on November 25, 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just decided that was something he wanted to do, to be out there to protect his country,\u201d Jaivion\u2019s grandmother, Belinda Washington, said.<\/p>\n Master Sergeant Shawn Elliot Simmons was killed in action on May 28, 2008.<\/p>\n \u201cHis men said he was a good soldier. A good team lead,\u201d Shawn\u2019s mother, Alberta Jones-Simmons said.<\/p>\n They were sons, brothers, husbands and fathers and died while serving our country.<\/p>\n Although these men didn\u2019t know each other, their deaths now connect these mothers and grandmother as Gold Star families.<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s a group, they and thousands of other American families wish they didn\u2019t know about first-hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou grieve this person that you miss terribly and it\u2019s such a sudden death. But you realize that it was his choice so you have to honor his choice,\u201d Cuchens said.<\/p>\n Nan Cuchens, Belinda Washington and Alberta Jones-Simmons are just a few of the many Gold Star families in our area.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first joined a year ago, it made me feel so welcome and it\u2019s like someone finally understands. And I know they were there to support me and just give me the listening ear that I needed,\u201d Washington said.<\/p>\n While talking about their children and grandchildren isn\u2019t always easy, they said it\u2019s incredibly important.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are those who say we have to tell their story and we keep them with us. We keep them alive and so we do. We tell their story,\u201d Cuchens said.<\/p>\n But with less than one half of one percent of Americans actively serving in the U.S. military, these women said they worry younger generations are losing that connection to our nation\u2019s service members and what it means to serve our country.<\/p>\n \u201cMemorial Day is a special day to recognize only those who gave their ultimate life for this country while they were performing their military duties. And so for us, it\u2019s not a special day, but it is a special day. You don\u2019t really want to celebrate it, but you honor your loved one,\u201d Jones-Simmons said.<\/p>\n So that\u2019s what these ladies are asking you to do this Memorial Day. While barbecuing or hitting the beach, stop and look around you.<\/p>\n \u201cRecognize that your freedom isn\u2019t free. There\u2019s a price that had to be paid for that and sometimes that price is the ultimate price which is your life. Or, somebody else\u2019s life. Or in my case, or in our cases our children or grandchildren,\u201d Jones-Simmons said.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a Gold Star family member in the Big Bend and haven\u2019t connected with a local group, you can find help through the U.S. Army\u2019s Survivor Outreach Services. They can connect you with any branch of the military. <\/p>\n Lena Lewis is the Support Coordinator for the Big Bend. You can contact her at 850-459-6630. Or, email her at lena.d.lewis2.ctr@army.mil.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n