Gold Star Peak Dedicated in South Lake Tahoe Ceremony

“We will never, never forget” were the words spoken by U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, 4th District of California, as Gold Star Peak was dedicated in South Lake Tahoe today. A bronze memorial plaque commemorating the peak was unveiled during the ceremony held at Lakeview Commons. Mayor Tom Davis told the group gathered, “We’re proud to be able to have a memorial we can view every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.” The plaque is placed near beach level with a clear view of Gold Star Peak.

The waterfront ceremony honored 3 local men who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan:PFC Phillip Brandon Williams, 21, who was killed October 9, 2006 by a sniper’s bullet in Iraq; Sergeant Timothy M. Smith, 25, who died April 7, 2008 after his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad; and Specialist Garrett Fant, 21, who died September 26, 2011 after his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device in Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Many members of the Patriot Guard Rider group lined the back wall with their flags during the ceremony.

McClintock had a vision of commemorating local soldiers who died while in combat defending the United States. The U.S. Forest Service helped him locate a peak that was unnamed and the long process of naming the peak “Gold Star Peak” began.

Gold Star Peak, located on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe between Mt. Watson and Martis Peak, lies on National Forest System land shared by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the Tahoe National Forest, and private land owned by Sierra Pacific Industries. The peak’s name, Gold Star, comes from the Gold Star lapel pin that was established by an Act of Congress in 1947 to identify next of kin of service members killed in combat.