ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A New Mexico Gold Star mother returned from France after helping bring sacred soil to Arlington National Cemetery for a restored World War I memorial.
Joyce Paulsen, national first vice president of American Gold Star Mothers, shared her story with KOB 4 ahead of Memorial Day.
Her son, Matthew Q. McClintock, died in Afghanistan in 2016 at age 30. Paulsen said he reached the four goals he wanted most before he died.
“He wanted to be a Green Beret, he wanted to be married, he wanted to have a house, and he wanted to have a son, and he had all those things right before he died at age 30,” Joyce Paulsen said.
Paulsen said American Gold Star Mothers helped her work through grief after her son’s death. The group supports veterans, pushes for legislation and works to keep the memory of their children alive.
“I’m with a sisterhood that understands that loss that none of us ever wanted to join, but we understand it,” Paulsen said.
Paulsen was one of five American Gold Star mothers chosen for a Sacred Soil Tour through American military cemeteries in France earlier this month.
The group collected soil for a restored memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. The monument will honor fallen American soldiers in World War I.
“So many families elected to leave their loved ones in France and Belgium, and because of that, there’s these beautiful cemeteries that are there in France,” Paulsen said.
“If a mom who was never able to go on that pilgrimage, they can visit that monument. Now we brought a little bit of France in Belgium back here for them to visit in Arlington,” Paulsen said.
Each mother also honored a spotlight soldier during the trip and spoke at gravesites. Paulsen highlighted Tomas Herrera from Wagon Mound, New Mexico.
“One of his brothers wrote that he was always polite. His dad said he was a good son,” Paulsen said.
“One of the things we found in the 1910 census, they’d knock on the door, they’d write all the family’s names, their ages, etc. And when we saw the census, we saw Tomas’ family lived right next door to my great grandfather,” Paulsen said.
Paulsen said the trip reinforced the mission of Gold Star mothers to make sure families know their loved ones are remembered.
“As a mom, when your son, your child isn’t forgotten, that’s the most important thing you could ever do for a mom,” Paulsen said.
