Alabama Gold Star wife discusses late husband on Memorial Day
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. (WIAT) — As we honor and remember the U.S. service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, we also keep their families in our thoughts and prayers.
The loved ones fallen service members leave behind are known as Gold Star families.
Ashley Stegall from Trussville lost her husband, U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Stegall, in December 2009. Stegall said they were high school sweethearts who married in their 20s. She said Memorial Day has a much different meaning to her and her family now than it did 15 years ago.
'He was always helping people if he could,' Ashley Stegall said. 'He loved the military. He was going to be career military. He was a paratrooper. He loved to jump out of airplanes for fun for some reason, but he did. He loved it, and he loved his soldiers, and he loved what he did.'
Ashley Stegall said her husband served a 15-month tour in Iraq, where he was shot twice. He returned home and received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal with a 'V' device for valor.
'He would've gone back five more times,' Ashley Stegall said. 'He just loved what he did.'
Alabama family remembers Marine killed in 2010
Ashley Stegall said through her husband, she learned how dedicated soldiers are to serving their country and how rewarding it is to support a soldier as a wife and family member.
'It makes me proud,' Ashley Stegall said. 'I enjoy getting to show my son how awesome his dad was. It's special. It's hard. It was hard for a long time, and it still is.'
Jason Stegall died when his son, Landon Stegall, was 10 months old. Ashley Stegall said even though Landon was just a baby, he still looks to his dad as his hero.
'He, still at 16 years old — that's what he wants to do,' Ashley Stegall said. 'He loves to talk about it, and it was super special to see him put on [Jason Stegall's] little beret, his paratrooper beret, and he still to this day will try it on and stuff like that.'
On days like Memorial Day amid all the parades and ceremonies, Ashley Stegall said it means the world to Gold Star families to see others teaching their kids about the sacrifices the U.S. military makes and honoring the lives of fallen heroes.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Edwards leads Marlins against the Rockies after 5-hit outing
Colorado Rockies (9-50, fifth in the NL West) vs. Miami Marlins (23-34, fifth in the NL East) Miami; Monday, 6:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: German Marquez (1-7, 7.13 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 32 strikeouts); Marlins: Max Meyer (3-4, 4.53 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 63 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Marlins -198, Rockies +165; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Miami Marlins take on the Colorado Rockies after Xavier Edwards had five hits on Sunday in a 4-2 loss to the Giants. Miami has a 23-34 record overall and a 14-17 record in home games. The Marlins have a 19-7 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents. Colorado has a 9-50 record overall and a 3-28 record on the road. The Rockies have gone 6-18 in games when they record eight or more hits. Monday's game is the first time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Otto Lopez has six doubles and four home runs for the Marlins. Jesus Sanchez is 11 for 35 with a double and two home runs over the last 10 games. Hunter Goodman has 11 doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 31 RBIs for the Rockies. Mickey Moniak is 4 for 25 with two home runs and two RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Marlins: 4-6, .248 batting average, 3.03 ERA, outscored by one run Rockies: 1-9, .195 batting average, 3.97 ERA, outscored by 28 runs INJURIES: Marlins: Derek Hill: 10-Day IL (wrist), Rob Brantly: 60-Day IL (lat), Griffin Conine: 60-Day IL (arm), Andrew Nardi: 60-Day IL (back), Braxton Garrett: 60-Day IL (elbow), Eury Perez: 60-Day IL (elbow) Rockies: Chase Dollander: 15-Day IL (forearm), Kris Bryant: 60-Day IL (lumbar), Ryan Feltner: 15-Day IL (back), Austin Gomber: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jeff Criswell: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Red Sox open 3-game series at home against the Angels
Los Angeles Angels (26-32, fourth in the AL West) vs. Boston Red Sox (29-32, fourth in the AL East) Boston; Monday, 7:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Angels: Tyler Anderson (2-2, 3.39 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 46 strikeouts); Red Sox: Richard Fitts (0-2, 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 15 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Red Sox -152, Angels +127; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Red Sox host the Los Angeles Angels on Monday to start a three-game series. Boston is 16-14 at home and 29-32 overall. The Red Sox have a 22-9 record in games when they record at least eight hits. Los Angeles has a 26-32 record overall and a 16-17 record in road games. The Angels have the fifth-ranked team slugging percentage in the AL at .402. Monday's game is the first time these teams meet this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Taylor Ward leads the Angels with 16 home runs while slugging .493. Jorge Soler is 10 for 39 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Red Sox: 4-6, .246 batting average, 3.33 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs Angels: 3-7, .223 batting average, 3.78 ERA, outscored by six runs INJURIES: Red Sox: Justin Slaten: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Liam Hendriks: 15-Day IL (hip), Alex Bregman: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Triston Casas: 60-Day IL (knee), Masataka Yoshida: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kutter Crawford: 60-Day IL (knee), Tanner Houck: 15-Day IL (flexor), Romy Gonzalez: 10-Day IL (back), Chris Murphy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Patrick Sandoval: 60-Day IL (elbow) Angels: Robert Stephenson: day-to-day (biceps), Jose Fermin: 15-Day IL (elbow), Ben Joyce: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Gustavo Campero: 10-Day IL (ankle), Garrett McDaniels: 15-Day IL (biceps), Anthony Rendon: 60-Day IL (hip) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Medscape
22 minutes ago
- Medscape
Home Healthcare Common for People With Dementia
The use of home healthcare services is common among people with dementia, especially for community-initiated care, a new analysis of Medicare data showed. Between 2010 and 2019, use of community-initiated home healthcare increased by 17%, while use of home healthcare for postacute care rose by 21%. Use decreased after 2020, which investigators said could be linked to staffing shortages in the home healthcare industry. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis, including over 13 million older adults (mean age, 79.4 years; 60% women; 86% White individuals) who were enrolled for traditional Medicare and received home healthcare between 2010 and 2022. The frequency and duration of home healthcare spells were analyzed and compared between individuals with dementia (28%) and those without dementia (72%). Postacute care was defined as home healthcare instituted within 14 days of discharge from a hospital, nursing home, or other facility. All other home healthcare use was classified as community-initiated. TAKEAWAY: Between 2010 and 2022, there were 30,998,653 home healthcare spells (mean, 2.2 home health spells per beneficiary). Individuals with dementia used community-initiated home healthcare more frequently than postacute care (54% vs 46%). Among individuals with dementia, the number of community-initiated care spells increased from 35.4 to 40.2 per 1000 beneficiaries and that of postacute care spells increased from 28.9 to 35.1 per 1000 beneficiaries (2010-2019) and then fell to 33.6 and 28.5 per 1000 beneficiaries by mid-2022, respectively. Between 2010 and 2019, the number of community-initiated care spells among individuals without dementia decreased by 20%, while postacute care spells decreased by 21% in this population. Home healthcare spells were consistently longer for individuals with dementia than those without it (47-52 days vs 44-50 days for community-initiated care and 40-43 days vs 32-34 days for postacute care). IN PRACTICE: 'Despite increasing use of home health care during this time period, people may receive incomplete support for their home healthcare needs through Medicare, which is centered on needs for skilled care, or Medicaid, which entails strict asset and income tests. Decreasing rates of home healthcare use since 2020 in this high-need population point to a need for ongoing monitoring of service use and outcomes for people with dementia,' the investigators wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. It was published online on May 16 in JAMA Network Open . LIMITATIONS: The study relied on claims data for dementia diagnosis. The COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted healthcare utilization, potentially leading to underdiagnosis of dementia toward the study's end. Additionally, the study only included traditional Medicare beneficiaries as those enrolled in Medicare Advantage typically use home healthcare at lower rates and for shorter periods, which may have influenced the observed trends. DISCLOSURES: The study was funded by the National Institute of Aging. One author reported receiving personal fees from City Block Health and Trinity Health outside the submitted work.
