Contributions by Shanette Booker

I never understood the family bond of the Marines until I attended the ball with Dre and watched the history unfold before my eyes.

Running for Dre was more than just a great workout or a sport, it was a way of life.

He lives with each breath I take and with each person who hears his story and learns of his legacy.

I am a widow. It's not who I am; it is what I am, and I am also a proud mother, a great sister, wonderful friend, and still the wife of the late Andre Booker.

IT IS OK. Continue living for you and honoring them. The way I see it is it's your life and you have to continue living it, no one else…

He was a tall caramel complexioned man. His smile lit up when he walked into the room.

My holiday season is over after all the rose petals have fallen and the boxes of chocolate hearts are empty.

Just because someone had died, that doesn't mean I can’t keep his memory alive, or that I can’t keep honoring him the way I choose to.

August 19, 2011 technically was the day death did do us part, but I don’t think that physical death counts…the love between us still lives after August 19, 2011!

I went a whole year like that…not intentionally, but it happened. I avoided their loss. I couldn't believe it.

It was time I picked myself up, say a last and final goodbye to my comfort zones, and live the next days of my life smiling happily, and free.

It’s yet another year beginning without our loved ones...and yet another year ending without them.

This year was my first time attending the TAPS Suicide Survivor Seminar, and it is an experience like no other.

I didn’t take into account the day before the “Last Day” of our lives. It hit me harder than a ton of metaphorical bricks.

I truly believe that his death was not a suicide but indeed a Medicinally Induced Death.

We must realize that our friends and family are just trying to figure out how to help us cope with our loss and that they do genuinely care and love us.

I would like to welcome you to my world of wonder, wisdom, and widowhood. I am Mrs. Shanette Booker, wife of USMC Sgt. /USARMYSSG.