A Special Memorial Day Tribute to Three Fallen Heroes:
As we head into the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, our family is reminded of three very special people that have touched our hearts throughout the years. Fallen Soldiers Army 1st Lt. Ashley I. White, Air Force Senior Airman Jonathan V. Yelner and Marine Lance Cpl. David S. Parr were either childhood friends and/or served alongside with one of our children in the fight for freedom and to keep our country safe.
We hope you will join us this holiday, to pause and remember all the men and women who died to give us the freedoms that we enjoy today.
Died October 22, 2011 serving During Operation Enduring Freedom. She was killed during combat operations in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan when the assault force she was supporting triggered an improvised explosive device. We came to know Ashley while she served with the 838th MP CO. out of Youngstown with our daughter, Kelly, in 2007. James and I were the unit’s FRG Leaders at the time. Ashley came to the monthly family meetings and events. She was always kind, helpful, cheerful and you got that sense that she was fulfilling her passion of being a soldier. You may recognize her name from the book, Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield, written by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon that will soon become a movie that will be produced by Reese Witherspoon. Ashley was only 24 years old at the time of her death and already she had made a huge impact on the world and those who knew her.
Air Force Senior Airman Jonathan V. Yelner
Died April 29, 2008 serving During Operation Enduring Freedom of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Jonathan, 24 , was on our daughter Kelly’s Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team when she was stationed in Afghanistan. While we never met him in person, we are reminded of what a wonderful son, friend and solider he was through the stories Kelly and other soldiers have shared. Today, our daughter carries his memory on her wrist in the form of a ‘Wing nut’ ( his nickname) tattoo.
Died February 6, 2006 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was one of three Marines killed when an unusually large improvised bomb exploded under their armored Humvee. David, 22, was a childhood friend of our son, Keith, who would come by after school, or for lunch during the summer, and on weekends. He was a special boy that always had a smile on his face and grew into a fine young man and solider.
