Photo courtesy of Bradford Era Dr. Dennis Faucher, U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran, holds a Gold Star Family coin.

During his service in Vietnam, U.S. Army Helicopter Pilot Warrant Officer Dennis Faucher escorted the body of his roommate, Warrant Officer Claude Strothers, back to family in the United States after Strothers was killed in an April 1972 helicopter crash.

Fellow pilot Warrant Officer Jim Crigler escorted the body of 1st Lt. Tom Shaw to his family after Shaw was killed in the same crash.

Faucher, of Bradford, and Crigler are now making efforts to recognize Gold Star Families, like those of Strothers and Shaw, who lost family members in service to their country.

The families of Warren County veterans who died in service are invited to the annual Willow Creek Triathlon in McKean County.

The event is a fundraiser for the Disabled American Veterans of Warren and McKean counties, splitting the revenues evenly. Over the first 11 years of the event, it has raised over $233,000.

Faucher was the guest speaker for the first few years and returns this year.

He would like to honor Gold Star Families.

“Gold Star Families, frankly, over time are kind of forgotten,” Faucher said. “These families get lost and left behind.”

Sometimes, the families don’t have much detail.

“Frequently, they don’t know any of the story,” Faucher said. “Their loved one’s in whatever combat zone and they get a telegram or an officer knocks on their door.”

He and Crigler, and others, get together at reunions, including those of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association.

“We have Gold Star breakfasts,” Faucher said. David Shaw attended one of those to learn about his brother, Tom.

“We could tell him funny stories,” Faucher said. “We could tell him about what his brother experienced.”

Crigler and Faucher want to do more.

Crigler had a Gold Star coin created and has been giving them, with his thanks, to Gold Star Families.

Faucher now has some of those coins and is ready to give them out at the Triathlon.

“Right now I have about half a dozen families from the Bradford area,” he said. And he knows there are a number of Gold Star Families — parent, sibling, child, or spouse — in Warren County.

“There are a lot of Gold Star Families in the area. I’d be really honored to have them come,” he said. “I want to talk to them, find out who their loved one is… If they want to come, I’d love to have pictures — set them out and let people look at them.”

Faucher asks families interested in participating to reach out to him at (814) 362-1575, ideally by July 26.

The Triathlon will be held Saturday, Aug. 5. It includes a 300-yard swim at Quaker Lake, a 15-mile bike ride, and a 3-mile run ending at the Willows Restaurant.