Road march to support Nebraska Gold Star Mothers outreach to families of military who died by suicide
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Nebraska Airborne Association has an idea to bring two important groups together so they can learn from each other — and the public can help make this happen.
For more than a century, Camp Ashland has been a training ground for Nebraska’s Army National Guard.
“Last year, we did over 4,000 hours of volunteer work for veterans groups — active duty — and communities,” Barb Yllescas Vorthmann said.
She comes to this property with a different motivation.
“Dec. 1, 2008: that was Afghanistan,” Yllescas Vorthmann said. “He had three tours of duty.”
A roadside bomb exploded near her son’s unit.
Army Ranger Capt. Robert Yllescas never came home.
“That’s the Gold Star they give us and his two girls when he left for Afghanistan,” Yllescas Vorthmann said.
As president of the Nebraska Gold Star Mothers, her mission now is to continue her son’s service to the United States.
“This year, we Gold Star Mothers would take on a special project and have a retreat for the Gold Star Families that their hero died by suicide,” Yllescas Vorthmann said.
“They get it,” said Lydia Burgdorf of Omaha. “They understand what it is to let your kid write a blank check to the United States government and have that check cashed.”
Burgdorf’s son, Carl, never deployed.
“He was supposed to be a radio man,” she said. “He was a translator.”
The 23-year-old died by suicide with six weeks of school left in the Marine Corps.
“It has a stigma,” Burgdorf said. “You always wonder, ‘Did I miss something?’ There is still shame for suicide loss in this country.”
Retired Army Col. Richard Gray spent 34 years with the Nebraska Army National Guard.
“It’s not just the loss of the service member,” he said.
He’s planning a road march in November — a fundraiser to eventually bring the Barbs of the world together with the Lydias for a retreat next spring.
“We said, ‘We can make a difference. We know we can support a great organization of Gold Star Mothers.’ Instead of asking people to donate, we’re going to earn it,” Gray said.
Burgdorf said it’s encouraging.
“It will give us a chance to continue our healing journey,” she said.
IF YOU WANT TO GO
The Nebraska Airborne Association Road March benefitting Gold Star families will get underway at 8 a.m. Nov. 10 at Camp Ashland.
The entry fee is $60 per person. You can register — or donate — online at neairborne.org.
All proceeds go toward the Nebraska Gold Star Mothers retreat for families of military fallen due to suicide.
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