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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the time between her first Good Grief Camp in 2002 and high school graduation in 2009, Ashlynne and her family were regulars at TAPS events. As a teen, Ashlynne jumped at the chance to mentor young Good Grief Campers. \u201cIt was the natural next step in healing,\u201d Ashlynne shares, \u201cpassing on that support TAPS showed me the first time I walked into camp and every day since.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ashlynne carried forward her father\u2019s legacy of service, and she learned by watching her mother, Nichole, that legislation impacting survivors needed critical attention. As Ashlynne shared in a 2019 op-ed for The Oklahoman, the \u201cDependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs of $1,200 per month [was] nowhere close to my dad\u2019s salary\u2026\u201d To supplement this, Nichole was also eligible to receive Jeffrey\u2019s retirement benefits and Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). \u201cInitially,\u201d Ashlynne went on to write, \u201cmy mom was under the impression we would receive both the DIC and SBP payments, only to learn later that for every dollar we received in DIC, we [lost] a dollar in SBP.\u201d This has long been referred to as the Widow\u2019s Tax within the survivor community. Ashlynne\u2019s mom was not about to leave this for the next family to deal with. She leaned in, learned, and advocated on Capitol Hill with Ashlynne in tow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walking the halls of the Capitol alongside her mom fighting for survivor benefits sparked Ashlynne\u2019s love for policy and advocacy, which led her to pursue political science at American University in Washington, D.C. In school and at TAPS, Ashlynne thrived \u2014 balancing education and service, just as her father taught her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, in 2011, Ashlynne again faced a devastating loss when her mother died by suicide, and she was left to navigate adulthood, survivor benefits, and college expenses amid grief and on her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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