Gold Star Mothers Weekend 2025

You are cordially invited to attend and participate in the 2025 Gold Star Mothers Weekend, September 26-28, 2025, in Washington, DC.  
We want to provide important details about the weekend's activities and the suggested dress code. Any updates and changes will be posted here on our website. 

ACCOMMODATIONS

We have reserved a block of rooms at The Churchill Hotel, located at 1914 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009.  The Churchill is located just down the block from our National Headquarters.  All transportation provided by AGSM will begin and return to The Churchill.  
    
If you choose to stay at a different hotel, you are still welcome to use the bus departing from The Churchill or may arrange for your own transportation to all the events.  If you come to The Churchill to board the bus via your personal vehicle, you will be responsible for finding parking in the vicinity for your personal vehicle.
    
Room rates at the Churchill are $209 per night for a Standard King and $229 per night for a Junior Suite Double, plus applicable fees and taxes in effect at the time of arrival.  The Churchill only has valet parking and is an additional $60 per night.
    
To reserve a room at The Churchill, follow this link:  Churchill Hotel
If group rates don't show please use Group Rate GOLD0925
https://www.thechurchillhotel.com/
Please note that rates are only applied for the dates 9/25 - 9/29


EVENTS

Early Bird Special
Thursday, September 25, 2025,   9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.:  Guided tour of the National Museum of the United States Army, 1775 Liberty Dr, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-1803.
This will be a guided tour and lunch at the museum. Learn about our Army’s history, its evolution, and the guiding principles.

Thursday, September 25, 2025,   1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.:  Guided tour of the United States Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20004. This will be a guided tour about the United States Navy Memorial's mission to Honor, Recognize, and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present, and future; and to Inform the public about their service.

Friday, September 26, 2025,   6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.:  Open House at AGSM Headquarters, 2128 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC, 20008
This will be an opportunity for you to see our National Headquarters and spend time with our National Executive Board and other Gold Star Mothers from across the country.

Saturday evening, September 27, 2025,   6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.:  Annual Gold Star Mothers Banquet at Military Women’s Memorial on Arlington National Cemetery. Remember to bring a framed photo of your hero for the Hero’s Table. Transportation will be provided; see information below.

Sunday, September 28, 2025,   11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.:  Wreath Laying and Commemoration Service at Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Participants must be in place by 11:30 a.m. for the Gold Star Mothers Wreath Laying ceremony. At 12:00 p.m., our wreath will be placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in honor of our Gold Star Mothers, current and past.  The Commemoration Service will follow immediately after in the amphitheater.  The Commemoration Service will end at approximately 2:00 p.m.  Mission BBQ will be hosting lunch at the Military Women’s Memorial following the Commemoration Service for all attending. Transportation will be provided; see information below.


SERVICE PROJECT

This year we have three (3) projects. The 1 st is taking Gift Bags to the Women’s Health Clinic, at the VA Hospital here in DC. The 2nd is taking Gift Bags for the female veteran residents at the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) in DC. The 3rd is to take lunch to the Tomb Guards at Arlington National Cemetery.

To prepare for this we will be “stuffing” bags on Friday morning. One group of volunteers will deliver the bags to the VA hospital that Friday afternoon. This is because the Clinic is not open on Saturday. The rest of the bags will be delivered on Saturday to the AFRH.

Friday, September 26, 2025, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.:  Gift Bag Assembly at AGSM
Headquarters, 2128 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Gift bags for the VA Women’s Health Clinic and the Armed Forces Retirement Home will
be assembled. Join the fun in preparing these bags for our female veterans.
VA Women's Health Clinic: Delivery of Gift Bags.

Saturday, September 27, 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m:  
Gift Bag Delivery: Armed Forces Retirement Home, 140 Rock Creek Church Rd, NW & Upshur St, NW, Washington, DC 20011.
We will deliver the gift bags and spend time visiting the female vet residents as we share a cup of coffee & a donut with them.
Transportation will be provided.
Lunch for the Tomb Guards: This group will pick up lunch and deliver it to the Tomb
Guards at Arlington National Cemetery.

TRANSPORTATION
Transportation is always one of our greatest concerns and something we insist on providing.

Friday VA Women’s Health Clinic
More details will be made available once we know how many will participate in this
Service Project.

Saturday Armed Forces Retirement Home & Tomb Guard Quarters, ANC
More details will be made available once we know how many will participate in this Service Project.

Saturday Banquet:
Bus: Transportation will pick up and return to the Churchill Hotel for the Military Women’s Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery.

Ride-share: Uber, Lyft, other ride-share programs, and taxis are allowed, and drop off is at the East Side of the Visitor’s Center. This also applies to pick-ups at Arlington National Cemetery.

Parking Garage: Arlington National Cemetery will leave the Parking Garage open for the event.

Sunday Gold Star Mothers Tree Marker:

The Society of the Honor Guard Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (SHGTUS) has planned a special moment for our Gold Star Mothers and guests attending the Wreath Laying and Commemoration Service. You will be laying a flower at the Gold Star Mothers Tree Marker prior to the official wreath laying ceremony. This event will occur at 11:00am (prior to the 11:30 wreath laying) at the Amphitheater entrance. A Tomb Guard and
Arlington Ladies will greet you and escort you to the site. It will be a very special moment for you.

Bus: Transportation will pick up and return to the Churchill Hotel from Arlington National Cemetery. The bus will depart the Churchill at about 10:30am with a return trip about 3:30pm.
Personal vehicle: We understand you may want to drive your personal vehicle to Arlington National Cemetery on Sunday, September 28, 2025, to facilitate your travel home following the ceremony.  If you choose to do this, you will be required to park in the parking deck at Arlington National Cemetery. Once you have gone through security, you will proceed to the Tram area where a shuttle bus will be waiting to take you to the Amphitheater. At the end of the program the shuttle will bring you back to the Military Women’s Memorial for the lunch hosted by Mission BBQ.
More information on transportation provided by AGSM will be distributed the week of September 22nd to those who register to attend and indicate they will need transportation.

Suggested Dress
Friday evening Open House:  Casual
Saturday evening Banquet:  Semi-formal; military uniform
Sunday Commemoration:  Business whites; military uniform
 
Cost
The cost for the Banquet is $80 per person.

The deadline to register for events in DC is September 11, 2025.  All attendees must complete the registration form and pay for banquet tickets at this link: https://form.jotform.com/252167457127157

If you have questions, please contact our National Service Officer, Rose Duval, at [email protected].  

Any changes to the schedule of events will be communicated via email to those who register and will be posted on our website: https://www.americangoldstarmothers.org/gold-star-weekend-2025.html​
 
We look forward to spending time with you this weekend as we remember our Heroes and celebrate the legacy of American Gold Star Mothers!