08/20/2026
Dody Callahan has followed Gold Star Peak for years. When the mountain was officially named Gold Star Peak in 2018, she knew she wanted to stand on its summit someday.
For Dody, this mountain has always meant something more. She lost her husband, SFC Keith A. Callahan, in combat in Iraq on 24 Jan 2007. But Keith’s story and Dody’s connection to him began long before the Army, deployments, and loss.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, Dody, Shawn, and Tonya were childhood friends. The bond they formed as kids never faded. Shawn and Tonya would marry soon after Shawn joined the Army, embarking on a long career.
Shawn served in several assignments across the Army, including the 82nd Airborne Division, before becoming a Green Beret. He served a long military career marked by combat and service, rising to the highest enlisted rank of Sergeant Major before retiring.
While serving in the 82nd, Shawn introduced his best friend and fellow Soldier, Keith, to Dody.
The rest became their story.
Keith and Dody married, built a family and life together with their four children. Eventually, that life was forever changed by Keith’s sacrifice. Years later, three lifelong friends would find themselves together again, this time on top of Gold Star Peak, where Dody finally made the climb she had wanted to make since 2018.
Ahead of their trip to Alaska and climb up Gold Star Peak, Dody and Tonya set out to prepare themselves by working out, hiking, and hitting the StairMaster multiple times a week.
But she didn’t climb alone.
She climbed carrying Keith’s memory, surrounded by two friends who had known her long before the Army, long before her loss, and who understood exactly what this moment meant for her.
Sometimes we’re driven by the people beside us. Sometimes we’re driven by the people we carry in our hearts. And sometimes, it’s both.
Keith may not have been there to make the climb, but his story was.
Say his name:
Keith A. Callahan
24 Jan 2007
Iraq
