Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a very scarce medal, the first of its kind we have ever offered on its own. During the 1920s, the Gold Star Mothers' Association lobbied for a federally sponsored pilgrimage to Europe for mothers with sons buried overseas. Although many of the women who belonged to the organization had visited their sons' graves, they realized that women often could not afford the trip to Europe. In their testimony, these women placed great emphasis on the bond between a mother and son. The bond between wife and husband seemed almost secondary in the congressional debates. The bond between fathers and sons was barely considered--the association maintained that the maternal bond surpassed that of the paternal bond.

In 1929 Congress enacted legislation that authorized the secretary of war to arrange for pilgrimages to the European cemeteries "by mothers and widows of members of military and naval forces of the United States who died in the service at any time between April 5, 1917, and July 1, 1921, and whose remains are now interred in such cemeteries." Congress later extended eligibility for pilgrimages to mothers and widows of men who died and were buried at sea or who died at sea or overseas and whose places of burial were unknown. The Office of the Quartermaster General determined that 17,389 women were eligible. By October 31, 1933, when the project ended, 6,693 women had made the pilgrimage. Once the quartermaster determined a woman was eligible, she was sent a questionnaire.

This example is serial numbered 4383, and is marked with the logo of the maker, B.B.B. Co.. The top piece is etched:

Mrs. Ruth Warren
Kansas

Ruth was the mother of Private Jerry Allen Warren, Company B, 126th Machine Gun Battalion, 34th Division. He died of Pneumonia while traveling overseas aboard the HMS Arlanza and was buried at sea on September 25th, 1918.

The medal has some fraying of the ribbon as shown, but is in great shape overall. 

Ready for display.