Kenny Yoo Photography

 

 

The Gold Stars comes from the idea of life after the military for the families of fallen soldiers. It is not so much on the idea of veterans, but the families of fallen soldiers. Military families have a tradition of hanging a flag in their window with stars honoring family members serving in war: blue stars for living soldiers and gold stars for those who have died. These portraits imply the sacrifices that the families of soldiers have made, and show how loved ones are coping through the myriad ways they have managed to hold onto the memory of their loss. Often, people assume family members are going to be depressed, and that others should feel pity for them, but that isn’t the case all the time. These families consist of ordinary people that aren’t depressed all the time and have the mindset to continue life. Gold Stars are a representation of a family that had a loved one that gave the ultimate sacrifice in a combat zone.