“Forever Loved, Never Forgotten”
The Navy Gold Star Program is eternally grateful for the sacrifice of those Service Members who have died in service to our country. To help us to never forget, we have set up this tribute page to honor and remember the memory of those lives. If you would like to honor the memory of your Sailor, Soldier, Marine, Airman or Coast Guardsman through the Navy Gold Star website please submit your thoughts and a photo.
CPL Joshua C. Sticklen died December 3, 2006 when the CH-46 helicopter he was in crashed in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay. Hawaii. Josh was an Intelligence Specialist and served in Afghanistan and had been awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Korean Defense Service Medal. He was featured in a 2004 Marine Corps Magazine article in which he explained his role in creating terrain models, which give planners and commanders a realistic view of geographic areas.
Josh, the much loved son of Maggie Sticklen of Virginia Beach, and Larry and Rebecca Sticklen of Virginia Beach, was born in Rota, Spain but grew up in Virginia Beach and was very close with his two sisters, April Swain and husband Tony of Palmyra, VA., and Tricia Koss and husband Chris of Virginia Beach, Josh was the proud and loving Uncle of four nieces that he called his “munchkins”, Kendra & Adryanna of Virginia Beach, and Breanna & Mackenzie of Palmyra, VA. He graduated from Salem High School in 2000, where he was a leader in the Navy’s JROTC program in preparation for his life dream of becoming a Marine! Josh attended two years at Tidewater Community College, then fulfilled his childhood dream and joined the Marine Corps in October of 2002.
IF LOVE COULD HAVE SAVED HIM, HE WOULD HAVE LIVED FOREVER!