“This is the second Memorial Day since my husband has been gone. And honestly, for any Gold Star family you'll talk to today, they'll say every day is Memorial Day for Gold Star families.” — Avery Rasmuson
Avery and Seth Rasmuson met in middle school. They dated for seven years and were married for four years.
“We only got two wedding anniversaries together but I still celebrate as if he's here,” says Avery.
Cpl. Rasmuson was killed on June 8, 2022, along with four other Marines flying their Osprey aircraft in the Southern California desert.
“He did everything on the aircraft except for fly. He was super passionate about flying and, just he loved what he did,” Avery says.
After her husband’s death, Avery became the member of a Gold Star family—wives, husbands, siblings, and parents who have lost a loved one serving in the military.
“All these families know the pain all too well,” says Avery.
At the time Seth Rasmuson passed away, he and Avery's son Reed was eight months old. Now, Reed is two, growing up with the memory of his dad and forging new traditions.
“He talks about his dad daily, he sees photos of him and I know that he misses him. and I hope that he carries on traditions such as today,” says Avery.
During the Bozeman Memorial Day Parade, Gold Star families were honored, a time for the community to show their support.
“The street just filled with people was honestly the most amazing thing I could have asked for today honoring our lost loved ones,” says Rasmuson.
Once the echo of tolling bells and gun salutes settle, the only sound that fills the cemetery is the sound of flags waving.
“Of course, it's full of grieving and missing him. But at the same time, I can look around at all these other Marines and all these other veterans, and it brings me back memories of seeing, Seth is just there—seeing him like you've pictured him here,” says Avery.
A simple way to remember?
“Is to never let his name fade away. That's how we remember our lost loved ones. And as long as we're saying their names, they'll always be remembered,” Avery says Rasmuson.
