MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Rae is TCBSM’s Recording Secretary. She has been a member for 3 years, works at Walgreens Distribution Center in Jupiter for almost 20 years & currently works in Administration.  She is the mother of 5 boys…One serves in the US Navy, one in Cyber Security, another is an AP high school teacher, and the other two work in the service industry.  Rae also serves in the DAR and is a volunteer for the Southeast Honor Flight. 

Rae’s father was a sailor during World War 2, and her brother was in the Coast Guard. Her dad worked on the Apollo and Shuttle programs, and her grandfather was a member of the FDNY,  so service is in her blood. 

Her son has served 4 1/2 years in the Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer, a graduate of UCF with a Bachelor in International Relations, and past president of the model UN. He also worked for the Florida House of Representatives as an aide until he was commissioned in the Navy. He inspired me to a greater purpose, to make this country better. “I believe these kids who serve are all our children and we have to make sure they are loved and appreciated. Their sacrifice and those of our Veterans must be recognized and respected.” 

Rae is an extremely generous, dedicated, kindhearted, and humble part of our team. She plays an integral part in our organization and we are blessed to have her on our Executive Board.  Rae was the driving force for our new “Adopt A Base”.

Linda is the driving force behind our “Adopt a Vet” service project, Where we provide little tokens of appreciation each month to the veterans who are living at a local assisted living facility in Fort Pierce. Several times a year. We are also able to do hands-on activities. 

Linda is a founding member of our chapter and served on the very first board.   She has served as the recording secretary for three years and as 2VP for one.  

Linda currently has two sons serving.  Tyler is in the Coast Guard and is stationed in San Antonio.  He is a graduate of UCF with a degree in Criminal Justice and is involved in  Military Intelligence.  Tyler is currently deployed on the Hamiliton and is getting married in April.  Ryan is a Captain in the Army and has his Ranger tab.  Ryan also is a graduate of UCF (Political Science) and is finishing up captain school in Ft. Benning.  In February he will be stationed with the 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina.  Ryan recently served nine months in Bagdad Iraq. 

Linda comes from a lineage of military service with her father and father-in-law serving in the Airforce during the Korean War and her uncle was a career Military Chaplain. 

Linda is passionate about our service projects and helps to organize the collection of supplies for our packages while also working closely with the Lynmoore at Lawnwood where we treat our veterans once a month.

Heidi is a new member and jumped right into our chapter.  At her very first event, she threw on an apron at Treasure Coast Harley Davidson and flipped burgers and hot dogs to help the chapter raise funds for our service projects.  

 Heidi's son Mike is a Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy, currently stationed in Japan along with his wife Ashley and 4-year-old son. Mike has been in the Navy for the last 14 years now. 

"As Mike has gone through his career, I didn’t know about Blue Star Mothers until my friend told me about it probably 10 years ago. I was living in Georgia at the time and unfortunately did not find a chapter in my area. Two years ago, I moved back to Florida and finally became a member of the FL-11 Blue Star Mothers in January of this year. I must say, Blue Star Mothers has been a very rewarding experience so far. It is a chance to connect with other mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, etc., who understand the unique challenges and experiences of having a child in the military. Our group is a supportive community where you can share stories, provide comfort, and offer guidance to one another. Being a part of Blue Star Mothers also means participating in various activities and initiatives to support active-duty service members, veterans, and their families. I truly look forward to the upcoming events. I am so pleased that I have joined this elite group and honored to help make a positive impact in the lives of those who serve our country."

Carmen is a seasoned Blue Star Mother and we are glad to have her in our Chapter.  She currently serves as our 1st VP and is an integral part of our chapter,

Carmen was raised in a home where all eligible men served their country, her grandfather, father, uncles, and cousins. "It’s what we did". She married an Army veteran and felt like he was a man among boys on the college campus where they met. So, when her boys decided to join the military, she was proud and honored that they would serve. She didn’t know that her family was unique until much later in life.

Carmen's oldest son decided to join the Coast Guard to be a rescue swimmer. He never became a rescue swimmer, but he enjoyed working in IT/Telecommunications. Her youngest decided that he wanted to attend one of the military academies. He worked very hard and was successful at his goal.

"But I found that as a mom, I needed support from other mothers with children in the military. No one understands like another military mom. The academy was great at supporting parents through the process but once they graduated, I was on my own. I found myself sitting in the Michigan Senate Committee for Veterans Affairs one afternoon and listened to a presentation from the Blue Star Mothers of America. As I listened to their stories and heard the pride in their voices I was in tears. I knew I had to find their organization and become part of them. 

The problem was there wasn’t a chapter in my area. So, I along with other military moms from my area got together and formed the Detroit Chapter. I have been proud to serve alongside some terrific military mothers at the local and state level. After moving to Florida, I have found a new home alongside the moms of Treasure Coast Blue Star Mothers. No matter where you go, military moms have much the same passion.  They love their country and raise their children to do the same. They are proud of their military children and scared at the same time. That’s why we need each other." 

Tim Maggart wrote a beautiful song “A Piece of Home” about Blue Star Mothers.
“She’s proud but scared. She prays he’s safe over there”. I’m so grateful for my Blue Star Mother sisters that have given me the support I needed.

 Sandy has been a Blue Star Mother for many years and we are blessed to have her in our chapter since she moved to Florida. Sandy has three sons ages 31, 36 & 40. Their oldest was a senior in HS when the towers went down in NYC in 2001. He wanted to join the Air Force at 18 however we convinced him to wait until he had some experience. He signed in 2005 and left for boot camp in 2006 Air Force Security Forces on his 22 birthday. She and her Husband started out volunteering with Soldiers Angels first and a Blue Star chapter started on Long Island in 2010. Rick was sent to Afghanistan in 2007-2008 for 11 months. Then sent to Afghanistan again in 2009-2010 again for 11 months. Then Iraq 2010-2011 for 9 months. It was a nerve wracking time for our family and we busied ourselves with our Blue Stars to keep us focused and busy. We really did not see him much in the 4 years he was deployed on and off.
In 2017 he became a Special Agent with AFOSI. He has completed 18 years and would like to retire at 20 years. Currently stationed at Hurlburt AFB in Navarre and will leave for FE Warren AFB 8/12/24 Cheyenne WY. He is a Master SGT.
They are grandparents with 6 grandchildren all together and live in Palm Beach Gardens.