My Nonprofit Reviews

I am the Gold Star Mother of Maj. Shawn Campbell, USMC, HMH-463, Pegasus 32. He is my only child. Shawn was one of twelve Marines killed 01/14/2016 in the mid-air collision of Pegasus 31 and 32 off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. There were 12 "new" Gold Star Mothers and Fathers born out of the deaths of our sons that night. The ripples of their deaths have reached far and wide, touching so very many with the legacies of their lives.

The Wingman Foundation was sponsoring a 20 mile Memorial Walk in Washington DC in honor of fallen naval aviators, including Shawn and the Pegasus Boys. They contacted me, asking if I would be their guest to attend this event. Of course I accepted! By the end of the day, I had the ticket for my flight and the reservation for my room in my hands.

The night before the Walk, they sponsored a dinner for all of us Gold Stars so we could meet and hug each other and share tears as we spoke of our Lost Ones. It was a very special night for me. The opportunity to be with others that are "like me" was comforting. Without The Wingman Foundation, I would not have met other Gold Star Parents, including another of the Pegasus "mishap" Gold Stars. Knowing that there are others like me is one thing, however being able to meet these other Gold Stars and talk with them face to face, and cry together - just to be able to spend time with them - gave me an incredible sense of "belonging."

Please know that those of us that are Gold Stars would never ever have wanted to be Gold Stars. The price of membership is the price of Freedom: that price was paid with the life of someone that we love. Our lives are forever changed.

The next day, the Walk happened - through the flooding waters around DC. It was muddy and rainy, and it was more than I could do. The Wingman Foundation staff made sure that I was in the right place at the right time to participate in the reading of the names of the Fallen. They stood beside me as I read the names of the Pegasus 12 Marines. People there that knew Shawn, that had served with him, and that knew him as a person. They shared their stories with me. Someone knew my son and honored and remembered him! Those are treasures beyond anything I can explain.

The respect and the love The Wingman Foundation gave me (and all the Gold Stars) was outstanding. The staff is amazing! Each and every one is warm and welcoming, ready to assist in every way possible, from checking in to my room, to driving me from place to place so I could participate in the event. They understand loss and sacrifice. They understand the emotional upheaval that will endure with those of us left behind for the rest of our lives. They understand, and they care.

True to their word, they do, indeed, "Honor the sacrifices of our fallen air warriors and the families they've left behind." This is not just a slogan for them, or something that they say. It is something that they actually do. The Wingman Foundation truly does honor the Fallen, and truly does care about those of us that are left behind.

Semper Fidelis.

Donna McGrew
Gold Star Mother, Maj. Shawn Campbell
USMC HMH-463, Pegasus 32
01/14/2016