Some stories begin long before a uniform. In this episode of Gold Star Stories, Kevin Graves remembers his son, Specialist Joseph A. “Joey” Graves—a California kid who loved golf, pranks, and looking out for the underdog. After 9/11, Joey chose the Army’s Military Police, earned his wings, served in Korea, then deployed from Fort Hood to Iraq. On July 25, 2006, during a convoy near Sadr City, a well-planned ambush took his life at 21.

You will hear the knock at the door no parent wants, a community lined in flags, and the long road from shock to purpose. Kevin shares the last hug before deployment, the procession to Golden Gate National Cemetery, and how grief became motion—a memorial golf tournament that is now in its 20th year, a foundation that gathers survivors and funds scholarships, and a gym that carries Joey’s name so students see it every day. This is not a story about how someone died. It is about how a father keeps love working in the world.

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