My son, Joshua Ashley, joined the Marines because he wanted to serve and protect our country. He gave his life doing just that. He was killed in action in Afghanistan. Josh was a military working dog handler, and his partner was Sirius. Sirius made it home, but Josh did not.
Josh was a good kid. He was just a regular boy in so many ways, but he was also special. From the time he was little, he was a protector. He didn’t like bullies. If he saw someone being picked on, he would step in. He was athletic, always outside playing sports, and he was almost always the captain of his team. He loved his family, especially his brothers, and he had more friends than I could count. He was the kind of kid who lit up a room.
One thing that stayed with him his whole life was 9/11. He was still young when it happened, but he never forgot. We had family working in the towers that day. Thankfully, they all made it out, but the memory stuck with him. By the time he was a senior in high school, he started talking about joining the Marines. He wanted the toughest boot camp, the best of the best. And, if I’m honest, he couldn’t wait to wear the dress blues.
I wasn’t supportive at first. I was terrified. It was wartime, and I didn’t want to lose my son. When he needed his birth certificate, I told him I didn’t know where it was, even though I did. Same with his social security card. I was trying to make it harder for him because I thought maybe he would give up. I cried every day, begged him not to go. I said to him, “Josh, bullets don’t go around people, and bombs don’t miss.
But Josh was determined. One day he said to me, “I am going to join the Marines. If you don’t stop crying and trying to talk me out of it, I’ll move out before boot camp. You make the choice.” I had no choice. I stopped fighting him and just cried in private until the day he left.
He went to boot camp in July 2008. I cried for three months straight while he was there. But Josh loved it. He thrived. He was in great shape, had no trouble with the physical or the academic parts. He became squad leader and sometimes even guide. We didn’t get many phone calls, just a few short ones, but we exchanged letters. He was so proud to be a Marine. You could hear it in every word he wrote.
Josh became a K-9 handler in 2011. That’s when he was paired with Sirius. They trained together for more than a year before they deployed to Afghanistan in May 2012. I met Sirius before they left, and it was clear how close they were. You could see the bond, the respect, the love.
Then came July 19, 2012. Two uniformed Marines knocked on my door. Just like you see in movies, only this was real. They started reading the citation about how Josh was killed, but I couldn’t hear them. I was in shock. My baby was gone.
Life has never been the same since. It’s been years now, but I still cry. I miss his phone calls. I miss seeing him walk through the door on leave. I miss hearing him say “I love you.” Holidays are hard. Every day is hard.
Josh had told me he wanted to adopt Sirius after their deployment. He said, “Mom, you adopt him until I can.” After Josh died, there was no question. I adopted Sirius. Having him was like having a piece of Josh still with me. He was family. He was like another child.
When Sirius passed away in May 2021, my heart broke all over again. Losing him felt like losing Josh a second time.
When your child serves, the family serves too. I have been blessed by the Marine Corps family. They brought me in, made me part of their brotherhood. And I know in my heart that Josh and Sirius are together again, guarding heaven’s gates.
There is even a song about them — “K-9 Brother” by Andy Griggs. It came out in 2020, and it means so much to me that their story is remembered in that way. Because my son will never be forgotten. Not by me. Not ever. I will keep saying his name. Always.
