A Veteran Remembers Her Wife’s Last Christmas

In 2005, Army service member Alleria Stanley and her wife, Ellicia, had just had their second child when Alleria was deployed to war. But that was just the first event that would alter their lives. 

Alleria came to StoryCorps to remember that time, and her wife’s last Christmas.

Santa and Ellicia Stanley in the Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News, VA, on December 23, 2006. Photo by Alleria Stanley.

Top photo: Alleria Stanley with a photo of her late wife, Ellicia, commemorating Alleria’s last day of active duty in the military, in Fort Leonard Wood, MO on February 28, 2023. Photo by Abigail Peters.

This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Originally aired December 26, 2025 on NPR’s Morning Edition.