New monument honors the sacrifice of mothers

Vivian Allen of Chester, N.Y., the mother of 1st Lieutenant Lou Allen, is pictured (far right) at the unveiling on Nov. 11 of the new Gold Star Mothers Monument at the Orange County Veterans Cemetery in Goshen, N.Y. Founded in 1929, the Gold Star Mothers is an organization of mothers whose sons or daughters died in service to their country. First Lieutenant Allen was 34 when he was killed on June 8, 2005, while serving in Iraq. The Milford resident left behind his wife, Barbara, and four sons, Trevor, Colin, Sean, and Jeremy, as well as his parents, Robert and Vivian, and sisters and brothers. Barbara Allen is now working to have Lou awarded the Purple Heart. The poured bronze statue at the new monument depicts a mother holding an American flag. It was created by Najim Chechen (pictured far left), a local sculptor who was born in Iraq, and who has been involved in humanitarian relief efforts since the war began.