Gold Star Stories

Honoring PFC Joseph "Dimps" Marquez

A mother and a grandfather. One loss. Two vantage points. In this first-ever dual-interview episode of Gold Star Stories, Nick Letendre sits down with Kristen Giordano and Joe Giordano to honor Private First Class Joseph Marquez — known to the people who loved him as "Dimps." Joey was killed in a training accident in Yakima, Washington on April 25th, 2022. He was 19 years old and had been in the Army less than a year. Kristen — Joey's mother — shares the dimples that gave him his name, the boy who'd rather watch the Yankees with her than go out with friends, the migraine call the night before he died, and the work she's doing now to make sure no Gold Star family feels alone. Joe — Joey's grandfather, twenty years in the Army with twelve of them at West Point, and the man Joey was named after — remembers the day an eight-year-old boy stood on a riverbank watching helicopters and decided he was going to fly. He walks us through the rollover, the notification, and what it means to be a Gold Star grandfather standing quietly behind his daughter. Say his name: Private First Class Joseph Marquez. 🎖️ HONORING: PFC Joseph "Dimps" Marquez U.S. Army, 88M / 92F cross-trained KIA April 25, 2022 — Yakima, Washington ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 02:25 Meet Kristen — the dimples, the light 03:49 A family of service 04:32 Joe's story — the West Point helicopter day 05:41 The shattered leg that almost stopped him 06:08 Basic, AIT, and the BWI airport surprise 07:02 "Kez, get off your phone" 09:09 The last call — "Love you too, mama" 15:40 Joe explains what happened in the desert 17:14 Telling Alexis 21:51 The secret-mission denial 23:29 The funeral and the unit that came home with him 24:10 TAPS, the 5K, and the JM 42 Foundation 29:18 The Woody Williams Memorial 30:48 Why Joe doesn't lead with "Gold Star grandparent" 31:40 The toast 33:00 Thank you 💛 SUPPORT THE MISSION: 🌐 GoldStarStoriesUSA.com ☕ BuyMeACoffee.com/GoldStarStories 💵 Cash App: $GoldStarStories 🎗️ LEARN MORE / GET INVOLVED: JM 42 Foundation — supporting active duty service members, first responders, and their families Woody Williams Foundation Gold Star Families Memorial Monument — Millsboro, Delaware 🎧 LISTEN & FOLLOW GOLD STAR STORIES: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music 📲 FOLLOW US: TikTok: @USAGoldStarStories Web: GoldStarStoriesUSA.com A special thank you to our supporters: June Letendre, Jackie Mullins, Danielle Metal, Terry Mullins, Edie Howard, Bob and Pat Scott, Mary Jo Stoy, and Helen Krupp. If this episode moved you, share it. Tell someone his name. That's how he stays here. I'm Nick Letendre — check in on your people, live with purpose, and always, always say their names. #GoldStarStories #SayTheirNames #JosephMarquez #GoldStarFamily #GoldStarMom #GoldStarGrandparent #ArmyStrong #FallenHero #MilitaryFamily #VeteranSupport #Yakima #ArmyAviation #TrainingAccident #LegacyOfService #RememberTheFallen #MilitaryPodcast #GriefAndLove

Honoring CPL. Nick Arvanitis - Kim LaShomb's Story

Episode Title: Kim LaShomb | A Gold Star Sister’s Story Featuring: Kim LaShomb Honoring: Cpl Nicholas Nick Arvanitis, U.S. Army (KIA Iraq, October 2006) Kim LaShomb is a Gold Star sister and a veteran who has carried her brother’s loss for nearly two decades. In this episode, she shares who Nick was before the uniform, what changed after deployment, how the notification unfolded, and what it looks like when a sibling becomes the point of contact and the steady one in the moment that breaks a family. This is Nick’s story through the voice of the person who knew him best. Topics Covered * Nick’s life before service: sports, music, wrestling, and personality * Why he chose the 82nd Airborne * The impact of deployment and the silence that followed * Notification and the weight placed on siblings * Community response, remembrance, and keeping a legacy alive Important Note About Audio Due to an error in Riverside, there are moments where it may sound like Kim is being cut off or talked over. This is not intentional. We edited the episode as carefully as we could, and we’re working to prevent this issue in future releases. Thank you for listening, and thank you for honoring Nick.

Gold Star Stories Vietnam - Honoring CPL Thomas Steven Hickman - Scott's Story

In this episode of Gold Star Stories, we share the life and sacrifice of Corporal Thomas Steven Hickman, a young soldier from Loogootee, Indiana, who served with courage and heart during the Vietnam War. Told through the voice of his younger brother Scott Hickman, this story reflects the love, loss, and resilience of a family forever changed by war. As time passes, stories like Steve’s risk being forgotten — but through Gold Star Stories, we’re making sure their names remain spoken and their legacies live on. ⚠️  AI & Visual Disclaimer While this episode focuses on the audio story, accompanying visuals shared online include AI-assisted recreations used to enhance storytelling. Some scenes may not be historically or visually accurate. With limited surviving photos and resources, these recreations help illustrate moments that would otherwise be lost to time. Gold Star Stories operates on limited means, often working with only a few affordable AI generations and restored family photos to tell each story. With your support, the quality of these episodes and documentaries can grow exponentially — helping us restore real images, capture new interviews, and preserve even more voices from America’s Gold Star Families. 🎖️ Support the mission: Visit GoldStarStoriesUSA.com [https://GoldStarStoriesUSA.com] Your tax-deductible donation through Veterans Collaborative helps us record, restore, and remember. Say their name. Remember their story. Honor their sacrifice. #GoldStarStories #Vietnam #GoldStarFamily #SayTheirNames #Veterans #Legacy #DocumentaryPodcast

Honoring SPC Joey Graves - Kevin's Story

Some stories begin long before a uniform. In this episode of Gold Star Stories, Kevin Graves remembers his son, Specialist Joseph A. “Joey” Graves—a California kid who loved golf, pranks, and looking out for the underdog. After 9/11, Joey chose the Army’s Military Police, earned his wings, served in Korea, then deployed from Fort Hood to Iraq. On July 25, 2006, during a convoy near Sadr City, a well-planned ambush took his life at 21. You will hear the knock at the door no parent wants, a community lined in flags, and the long road from shock to purpose. Kevin shares the last hug before deployment, the procession to Golden Gate National Cemetery, and how grief became motion—a memorial golf tournament that is now in its 20th year, a foundation that gathers survivors and funds scholarships, and a gym that carries Joey’s name so students see it every day. This is not a story about how someone died. It is about how a father keeps love working in the world. If this mission matters to you, please consider supporting our work so we can keep recording and preserving these stories. Donations are tax deductible through our partnership with Veterans Collaborative. Learn more at GoldStarStoriesUSA.com. #GoldStarStories #SayTheirNames #JosephAGraves #ArmyMP #SadrCity #IraqWar #ServiceAndSacrifice #LegacyLivesOn #California #MilitaryFamilies

Honoring CPL Ben Kopp - Jill's Story

A mother’s love, a son’s calling. In this Gold Star Stories interview, Jill Stephenson shares the life and legacy of her only child, Corporal Ben Kopp—an athlete turned Army Ranger whose True North formed after 9/11. Jill walks us through three deployments in two years, the call no parent wants, the race from battlefield to Walter Reed, and the hard truth that followed. She also tells how Ben’s written wish to be an organ donor saved four lives, including a family friend’s—proof that courage can outlive the body. We talk about honoring final wishes, a Black Hawk flyover back home, and Ben’s resting place in Section 60 at Arlington. If this mission matters to you, help us keep these stories alive at GoldStarStoriesUSA.com.