30th Infantry Division SPECIAL EDITION (LT Ashley White-Stumpf) Bracelet 

 You are bidding on handmade 550 Paracord Survival Bracelet. These are 30th Infantry Division Special Edition bracelets in honor of Lieutenant Ashley White-Stumpf. We are trying to raise money for our nonprofit foundation. The Benjamin Foundation advocates for father's rights in Washington State, and works in domestic violence victim advocacy for women, children and minorities. All proceeds go towards pursuing our efforts to reunite fathers with their children and help families stay amicable following a divorce or separation.

This bracelet is red and blue with a blue stripe, the colors of the 30th Infantry Division with the Insignia mounted. The image shows a horizontal mount, I have had requests for a vertical mount, so please specify when ordering, although I will ask when inquiring about size. The standard design is just under 9 inches. Standard bracelets use about 10 feet of paracord. [This item can be custom sized to order. Most wrists sizes vary between 7.5 inches and 9 inches. This item can be made smaller or larger.] Please note your preference at time of checkout.

MOGADORE, Ohio -- They brought covered dishes and cookies with Halloween-orange frosting. It's how the folks in this rural corner of Portage County say goodbye.

Monday, they also lined both sides of the street in front of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Randolph Township, waving small American flags; hands covering hearts or mashing tear-crumpled tissues, old veterans giving a trembling salute as the hearse bearing Army 1st Lt. Ashley White Stumpf rolled by. (See earlier version of story.)

Apron-clad women of the St. Joseph funeral luncheon committee hurried out of the kitchen at the Knights of Columbus hall where a post-funeral fete was set, to catch a glimpse as the procession came to the same church where Stumpf had just gotten married last May.

The fallen soldier was one of their own, and "we take care of each other," said Joanne Krantz, committee chairperson. This was the group's first military funeral. She hoped it would be their last.

Stumpf, 24, a native of Alliance, was killed Oct. 22 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan where she was serving as a member of a cultural support team working with a Joint Special Operations Task Force. The 2009 graduate of Kent State University was one of 135 women of the 6,230 U.S. troops who have died during the war in Afghanistan or Iraq.

A statement issued by the familysaid, in part, that Stumpf "died doing what she loved and knowing she was making a difference in the lives of countless Afghani women and children.

"Our family is overflowing with pride. Pride at the person Ashley was. Pride at the endeavors she chose to pursue, and pride in the service she gave to our country."

Her military role was frequently cited during the church service.

"She was not just accepted by the Rangers she worked with, but loved, admired and respected," said Col. Mark O'Donnell, deputy commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, a unit Stumpf served with on her first combat tour.

After citing Winston Churchill's quote that "never have so many owed so much to so few," O'Donnell noted, "Ashley was frequently the only female on the objective. Think about the great courage that took."

The officer in charge of her unit cited Stumpf's "rare combination of courage, compassion and commitment to each mission."

Yet there was another side of the soldier that was also commended by family and friends.

One childhood friend recalled Stumpf's advice on everything from makeup to grilled cheese sandwiches, citing Stumpf's "unselfish attitude and passion for life that inspired everyone who knew her.

"In the short amount of time that God gave her, she was able to touch thousands of people," she added.

Stumpf's brother, Josh White, said his sister "took great pride in the sacrifice that she and her husband Jason [an Army captain] made to help make this world a safe place."

Her husband recalled the little things about her that meant so much -- a smile to greet him at the door every time he came home from work, the lunches she made for him, tucking in an ice pack to make sure his sandwich and milk stayed cool.

"She was my better half, and truly an amazing woman," he said.

As the service progressed, mourners gathered outside church near the St. Joseph elementary school where heart-shaped American flags were stuck to the windows and cafeteria workers were keeping food warm for the luncheon.

Among them was a white-haired Vietnam-era Air Force veteran, Tom Holmes, 64, of Mogadore, who grimly gripped his American flag and said, "I just had to be here. She gave it all."

The family statement had noted, "A person who is as special and wonderful as Ashley can never be replaced. However, we take great comfort in knowing that she is watching over us from above and always will be."

Watching, then, as the service ended with the soft piano tones of "God Bless America."

As the metallic casket was loaded into an antique, horse-drawn hearse for the procession to the cemetery behind the church.

As this parade of pride and sorrow slowly moved to the muted clop of eight hooves and hundreds of shoes, through sun-dappled Halloween leaves and the faint whiff of simmering baked goods.

And the bagpiper played "Going Home."

We provide mediation services to both fathers and mothers who wish to resolve the complicated and delicate issues regarding children and custody and residential time, following a divorce or separation. It is our hope that through our guidance and assistance fathers and mothers can find a way to maintain a respectful and functional and courteous relationship for the sake of their children, without the necessity of court intervention. We provide guidance and assistance throughout the process of divorce and separation, facilitation and guidance in the preparation of court forms and filings, explanations as to the processes involving the court, and assistance in preparation of parenting plans and parentage actions. We further provide referrals to local attorneys who specialize in Family Law, as well as counselors and other professionals who may provide additional services and guidance throughout the process of a divorce or a separation. We provide these services to both fathers and mothers in an effort to provide the best options and alternatives to court actions, in order to preserve the foundational elements of family, with a focus on the health of children who require both fathers and mothers as a foundation to their social and emotional development from infancy throughout adolescence. It is our hope, that through support, donations, and fundraising, that we will be able to provide legal assistance to fathers who are unable to bear the financial costs associated with attorney's fees and court costs, who wish to be reunited with their children. We also hope to legislate for changes in laws within the State of Washington, in an effort to address the element of "equality" within the law, and a recognition of father's rights to equal access to their children. The Benjamin Foundation's purpose is to ensure that children are able to experience a childhood with both parents, and that equal access to their children is available to both fathers and mothers alike.

In brief, you should know the following about us: our foundation was established in 2009 to address advocacy for victim's of violence, with a focus on domestic violence, women, children and minorities. In 2010, the focus of the foundation was altered to address advocacy for father's rights in Washington State, due to the founder's own experience with being denied access to his son by his son's mother during and after a separation, and learning that father's rights are not recognized in the State of Washington. Through our sister foundation, LAW: Legal Advocacy for Victim's of Violence, we continue to address advocacy efforts for victim's of violence, restorative justice, and the protections for women, children and minorities who have found themselves the victim's of domestic violence. It is the hope and intention of the founders, to be able to provide services to families in Washington State, in an effort to preserve the dignity of all those involved in a divorce and separation, with a focus on the emotional health of the children involved, and equal access to both parents as a foundation to their children's health and future well being.