--- title: "Mother of Marine killed in Afghanistan adopts his working dog" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/mother-of-marine-killed-in-afghanistan-adopts-his-working-dog/" categories: - "Military News" --- # Mother of Marine killed in Afghanistan adopts his working dog ![]() A gold star mother from Rancho Cucamonga, California is honoring her Marine son's last wishes by taking in his beloved working dog, Sirius. She made that promise the very last time she spoke to him. --- ![]() Sgt. Joshua Ashley was soon killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device (IED). Sirius was with Joshua when he died. He was 23 years old. ![]() *Sirius sits on a memorial dedicated to Sgt. Joshua Ashley, his handler. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)* His mother, Tammie Ashley kept the promise four years later, after Sirius was retired from the Marine Corps. She picked the pup up at the airport in Ontario, California. "It was the strangest thing," [Ashley told CBS Los Angeles](). "He was smelling my face like he was going to lick it, and it was almost like 'I recognize you.' Like, 'You were Josh's mom.'" ![]() *Sirius during his deployment to Afghanistan (U.S. Navy photo)* Sirius, a German Shepherd, was 7 years old when Ashley died. It was a big loss. The team of Ashley and Sirius [scored a 100 percent in their pre-deployment training class](). Four months later, on July 18, 2012, Ashley hit the IED that killed him. Their story is recounted in author Rebecca Frankel's "War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History and Love." ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()