100th Anniversary of the Bladensburg Peace Cross

On Monday, First Liberty was in Maryland for the 100th anniversary celebration of the Bladensburg Peace Cross.

The Peace Cross stands as a 40-foot-tall tribute to 49 service members from Prince George's County who gave their lives in World War I. Conceived by Gold Star mothers and brought to fruition with the support of The American Legion, the memorial was dedicated in 1925.

To commemorate a century of the Peace Cross, we look back on the story of Martha Redman, a Gold Star Mother who worked tirelessly to ensure the sacrifice of her son and the other Boys of Bladensburg would never be forgotten.

Martha Redman: The Grieving Mother Who Preserved Her Son's Heroic Legacy

100 years ago, hot tears ran down Martha Redman's face. She saw the name etched into the newly dedicated Bladensburg Peace Cross: William Redman. Her son.

At the base of the Memorial Cross it said, "This Memorial Cross Dedicated To The Heroes of Prince George's County Who Gave Their Lives In The Great War For The Liberty Of The World."

No one quite understood the lengths Martha and nine other mothers went through to ensure their sons would not become a footnote in history. Amidst incomparable grief, they pioneered the effort to erect a memorial to honor the fallen soldiers.

In 1918, William was deployed to France. Martha was not ready to part with her child. As she said goodbye to him, a piece of her heart was torn away.

That same year, Martha received the news that no mother should ever hear. William was killed in a seaplane accident in France with two other Americans. He was the first Navy sailor in the county to make the ultimate sacrifice. 48 other soldiers from Prince George's County, Maryland, also perished in the Great War.

To receive news such as this was utterly unbearable. William would never come home. Martha's grief-stricken solution was to visit his grave in France. A heart-wrenching reality set in when she realized she could not afford to go, and in time, the world would forget him.

To Martha and the Mothers of Bladensburg, a man was only missing if he was forgotten. And though their sons were considered Missing in Action, they were going to do everything they could to make sure their valor, heroism, and courage, lived on.

→ Read the entire article on the First Liberty Institute website here:

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