🎙️ Episode 7 – Honoring SGT Andy Southard: Ashley’s Story

In this powerful and emotional episode of Gold Star Stories, host Nick Letendre sits down with Ashley Southard — a mother, a widow, and a woman rebuilding life in the aftermath of unimaginable loss. Her husband, Sergeant Andy Southard, a Black Hawk crew chief with the 160th SOAR, was killed during a training mission over the Mediterranean in November 2023.

Ashley shares the kind of story that lives in the quiet — the knock at the door, the stocking that fell from the mantle, the weight of public grief, and the burden of sudden decisions no spouse ever expects to make. She speaks openly about trauma, anger, media pressure, and the loneliness of being seen only as a widow — not a person still breathing, still trying, still here.

We also discuss family dynamics after loss, forgotten siblings in the grieving process, and the power of saying the things no one else dares to say out loud. Ashley’s courage in telling her story is matched only by her love for Andy and her desire to keep his memory alive for their daughter — and for all of us.

Say their name: Sergeant Andy Southard.

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📌 Follow Ashley on TikTok: @FromtheAshhh

📌 Follow the show: @USAGoldStarStories

🎧 Support the mission or learn more at GoldStarStoriesUSA.com

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