Bloomington (Monroe County, Indiana) Weekly Star, August 9, 1919, p. 8. Honor to First Gold Star. Bloomington honored the memory of Laurens Strain, Monroe county's first golden star in the world war, with appropriate ceremonies at the First Presbyterian church last Sunday. A letter to Dr. and Mrs. Homer Strain, the parents, from Lieut. E. P. Strout, of Laurens' company, told how the young man died on June 7, 1918, while defending the Paris road with his comrades. Lieut. Strout was the only surviving officer of the battalion. Constance T. Shotts, Ed.D., CG(SM) CG and Certified Genealogist are Service Marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluations by the Board and the board name is a trademark registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.