Ann Schmalstieg - Gold Star Wife

In 2009, Ms. Ann Schmalstieg married a Marine in the Catholic Church. Her husband, Justin Schmalstieg, Gy Sgt, USMC, was killed in action in Afghanistan barely a year later, just a few months after his conversion to Catholicism. On Dec. 15, 2010, Sgt. Schmalstieg and his team were returning to base after a period of intense fighting. Following multiple attempts at crossing a canal and facing the imminent threat of ambush, Sgt. Schmalstieg lost his life clearing a crossing point when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off. His sacrifice saved the lives of fellow Marines who were with him that day, leaving Ms. Schmalstieg a grieving widow. In this edition of Catholic Military Life, the only official podcast of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Ms. Schmalstieg, of Beaver Falls, PA, shares how she deals with her grief through art. Her work will be on exhibit from Oct 29 to Nov. 29 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The working title of the exhibit is "Requiem." The title takes its name from the Requiem Mass--a funeral Mass, or Mass for the dead.