GOLDSBORO, N.C. – Family, friends and fellow soldiers from the 230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, North Carolina National Guard, gathered to remember 1st Lt. Ashley White-Stumpf during the unveiling ceremony of the fallen soldier memorial dedicated in her honor at the Goldsboro National Guard Armory here, Sept. 15. 2013.
White-Stumpf was assigned to C Co., 230th BSB, 30th ABCT, when she volunteered to deploy as part of a cultural support team that aided special operations forces. She was killed in combat operations near Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, October 22, 2011.
Friend and fellow Soldier, Capt. Laura Dodson, together with White-Stumpf’s husband, Capt. Jason Stumpf, contributed most greatly to the memorial’s conception and construction. The unveiling ceremony marked the completion of the project nearly two years in the making.
Dodson said that along with being happy to have the memorial finalized, seeing it unveiled now gives her a sense of closure.
“I’m extremely happy to have had this memorial done,” Dodson said.
Josh White, brother of the late White-Stumpf, said he hopes that for Soldiers passing by the memorial, it will serve as more than a just reminder of his sister.
“I hope it’s a reminder of the standard they need to live up to,” White said. “I hope it’s a reminder to push yourself harder… that’s what she would want.”
White-Stumpf is remembered by her fellow Soldiers as a quiet professional.
“I really miss her,” Dodson said. “She’s one of those people you don’t find very often in your life.”