BOSTON/December 16 – Boston Globe/Sarah Roberts Holidays have been difficult for Karen Vasselian since her son Danny was killed in combat in Afghanistan, two days before Christmas in 2013.

Marine Sergeant Danny Vasselian was 27 years old, away from family on his third deployment when he died, his mother said.

The Abington Marine left behind his wife, three siblings, nieces, and his 9-year-old nephew, Cayleb Berrio.  Under the domed ceiling of the State House Memorial Room on Tuesday, Vasselian led her grandson Cayleb in hanging ornaments to honor Danny Vasselian at the fourth annual Massachusetts Gold Star Families Tree dedication.

Gold Star families have lost relatives to combat or service-related injuries. This year, about 100 families wrote the names of relatives who died while in the military on white, ceramic, star-shaped ornaments. The event was hosted by the Military Friends Foundation, a nonprofit that assists families of fallen military members.

Vasselian said Cayleb idolized his uncle, and though he told his grandmother the ceremony might make him cry, Cayleb was happy to be able to come and hang an ornament.“He was [Cayleb’s] hero,” Vasselian said

Vasselian said she knew the ceremony would be emotional, but felt overwhelmed by the support of the dozens of other families there. “Just seeing the other Gold Star families and parents, just seeing them . . . it helps,” Vasselian, 56, said. “It helps because you feel like you’re not alone.”

Jeanette M. Rose-Gutshell, a Gold Star wife in her 70s, lost her husband, Alton, in 2012 to an illness related to Agent Orange poisoning he endured while serving during the Vietnam War.  “This is a real sad time of year,” Rose-Gutshell said. “Of course for most families, we all have losses in our lives, but that they recognize the veterans, I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

Rose-Gutshell said she recently joined the Greater Boston Chapter of the Gold Star Wives of America. The group has allowed her to access a new community of military wives who have experienced loss.  “The recent veterans, now they’re connected. But before, the Vietnam veterans and the Korean War veterans, World War II veterans, we didn’t have those services at that time,” she said. “Nowadays, they really have some good support groups for the veterans, which I’m happy about.”

Governor Charlie Baker spoke somberly as he dedicated the tree to the service members whose sacrifice was enshrined by the tree ornaments. He recognized the bond and pain shared by families who have lost relatives in the military.

“Every Gold Star family is special and unique,” Baker said. “They share a common bond, which is the loss of someone precious to them who put the higher purpose of serving this country above themselves. But they are all unique with their own stories, their own history, and their own way of dealing with what we and they have lost.”

After Baker spoke, families took to the podium to read the name of the relative they had lost. Many broke down in tears; Baker and several state representatives sat solemnly, occasionally wiping their eyes.

Karen Vasselian stood back from the Gold Star Families Tree, admiring her son’s ornament as it hung next to the handwritten names of fallen comrades. It shined among twinkling white lights.

One star hung without a name or photo. It was marked with a short sentence penned in scratchy handwriting:

“Your smile is missed every day, and you will not be forgotten.”