28-04-2025
Gold Star families remember loved ones during annual retreat
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Several Gold Star parents are returning home after coming together to remember loved ones they've lost.
After losing his son in the line of duty, Terry Burgess needed a way to grieve. In time, he and his wife co-founded the Gold Star Parents Retreat. From 2016 to now, Burgess' idea has continued to provide an outlet for grieving families.
'We just started sharing stories, talking about our grief, our loss, and everything, and dealing with it. And every one of those parents said, This is what we've been searching for,' Burgess said.
This year's retreat was the fourth in a row to come to Wichita Falls, and each year, families keep coming back and growing their own Gold Star family.
'The fact that they are willing to travel from coast to coast to come to Wichita Falls, Texas, that's a huge success for us,' Burgess said. 'That means we're doing something right.'
Dianne Layfield came from California and pioneered much of the gold-star infrastructure now in place. She credits her son, Travis, with pushing her forward.
'I've stayed busy,' Layfield said. 'I've just been kind of a voice for Travis, letting other Gold Star families know that we're here for you, and we walk it together. My pain is as hard as yours, and we live it together.'
Layfield has become a regular on the retreats. Following Travis's passing in Iraq, she came to understand the importance of what the retreats aim to accomplish.
'We're a family now, you know, we walk the same journey in this community now that we're in,' Layfield said. 'We can love, laugh, hug, we know what we're going through.'
As each family returns home, they'll return next year to rekindle the bond between these Gold Star families.
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