At their January 23 meeting, the Dodge County Commissioners thanked the members of the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument Committee who attended the meeting and presented the county with a $15,000 endowment to be used, "to facilitate the perpetual maintenance and care of the memorial". They explained, "we wanted to make sure no tax dollars went to take care of the memorial". Committee members include Kay and Dave Swenson, Scott Eggert, Rod Peterson, Tim Hovei, Monica Eggert, Emily Woslager, and Teresa Czaplewski. 

The Gold Star Memorial is located on county land near the Government Services Building at 721 Main St, Mantorville.  Gold Star Monuments grew out of the century-old tradition of families placing gold stars in the windows of their homes or businesses if a member of the family died while serving in the military during  World War I. After World War II, Congress authorized gold star lapel pins for families of those killed in action. This monument in the first one erected in Minnesota. There are more than 100 of them throughout the U.S.  Members of the committee raised more than $140,000 to build this one through the Hershel 'Woody' Williams Medal of Honor Foundation of Kentucky and the CPL Curtis M. Swenson Memorial Fund.  Marine Lance CPL Swenson, aged 20, died April 2, 2010 while serving in Afghanistan. He had graduation from Mayo High School in 2007. Hundreds of people attended the memorial's dedication in June of 2022. Each September, there is a gathering at the memorial on the last Sunday of the month to honor Gold Star Mothers.  The memorial is about seven feet tall and about 15 feet wide and is made of black marble. There are benches built into the structure for visitors. A soldier's silhouette has been carved out of the marble, and it appears to be saluting the American flag flying near the main entrance of the Government Services Building.