Southwest Florida Community Foundation - Fort Myers, Florida
Posted by: 
BoomersOTR
N 26° 38.412 W 081° 51.987
17R E 413761 N 2946877
A Blue Star Memorial located in downtown Fort Myers, Florida.
Waymark Code: WM10YDP
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2019
Views: 9
Located on the grounds of the former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot building, renovated by the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and now home to the foundation is a Blue Star Memorial marker. This marker was placed here on November 1, 2018.
Blue Star Memorials were first conceived (1944) by the National Garden Clubs (originally called National Council of State Garden Clubs) near the close of World War II as a means of honoring men and women who served our country.
The program originally was to honor WWII veterans, but in 1951 the mission was changed to include all men and women who had served, were serving or would serve in the Armed Forces of the United States.
The "Blue Star" concept was originally used during the war by families who hung a blue star banner in their windows to show that they had a family member serving in the military. Thus the National Garden Clubs (NGC) decided to use the "Blue Star" on their memorial plagues with the first ones being placed in 1945. Today there are three types of Blue Star Memorial Markers in use and two types of Gold Star Memorial Markers.
This marker is of third Blue Star type that was approved by the NGC at its convention in Michigan in 1996. It is identical to the original Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker, except for the removal of the word "Highway." This allows for the placement of the marker on grounds other than highways. This marker, like all other Blue Star Memorial Highway or Memorial markers, has the standard tribute line of: "A tribute to the Armed Forces who have defended the United States of America" followed by the sponsors of the marker.
Acquisition/Dedication Date: January 11, 2019
Further historical information can be found on the following websites:
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