Tahler Hostetter has been invited to the inaugural ceremonies for the President and Vice President, which take place Friday, Jan. 20, in Washington, D.C. The President will lead a procession of ceremonial military regiments, citizens’ groups, marching bands and floats. Tahler will be with a group called TAPS, a national organization that stands for Tragedy Assistance for Survivors, as they make their way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. TAPS is a non-profit organization providing services to all those who have lost a loved one on active duty with the Armed Forces.
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Tahler, a 2011 graduate of Gallatin High School, was married to Jonathon Michael Dean Hostetter of Milan. Jonathon died on Aug. 23, 2013, of injuries received while serving his country in the United States Army in Afghanistan. He was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while serving in an engineering battalion.
Tahler is the daughter of Rodney and Stacy Cameron of Gallatin. She and Jon had only been married eight months when he was killed.
“I miss him every single day,” said Tahler. “There’s not a day goes by when he’s not on my mind.”
This time of year is especially hard for her. August was the three-year anniversary of John’s death; then the holidays; and Jan. 26 will mark their wedding anniversary.
Tahler said she struggled really hard with John’s death at first, especially the first two years, and is struggling to this day.
“I’m never going to get over it,” she said. “I was so young and it was so traumatic it’s altered my life in a very big way.”
Grief comes in waves. Some days she does very well; other days she doesn’t. She has found her greatest support in her own family and in John’s family. She lived with John’s parents, Mike and Lisa Hostetter, in Milan for the first two years after he was killed.
“Just because it helped me feel closer to him,” she said. “And I liked to be close to where he was buried and visit him a lot.”
In 2015, Tahler decided to go back on her own. She moved away to college.
“It was really, really difficult at first,” she said. “I wasn’t used to being away. I go back home every weekend to visit my parents and John’s parents. I’m still kind of lost. But school is helping and a career will give me some guidance. I lean on friends and family to get through everything.”
Tahler is attending Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. She is studying fashion marketing and merchandising.
“Ultimately, I would like to own my own boutique,” she said. “Right out of college, I’d like to buy for a major retail brand.”
When not in school Tahler does a lot of things with TAPS, including a program called Widow’s Retreat. She will be going to Alaska with them in March.
“The retreats have been really beneficial for me,” she said. “Because I was so young in age when I lost John, I didn’t really have anyone in the area to relate to. At the retreats I meet women who have gone through exactly what I have. I’m usually the youngest in the group, but I have formed some great relationships with them. It also gives me time to think about John and do things for him.”
The parade is another way to honor John’s memory. An honor student, a superior athlete, husband, son and brother, Jonathon was a young man who loved basketball and swimming. He enjoyed singing, and being around people. He loved to cook and entertain his friends and family hosting barbecues.
“This parade is a big honor and an awesome way to represent loved ones who have been killed overseas,” said Tahler. “It gives us a platform so that they’ll never be forgotten.”
Tahler left this Wednesday afternoon for Washington, D.C. On Thursday night she will take part in a Hero’s Ball in D.C.; then the parade on Friday. She will enter the parade at around 2:30 p.m.