Ashley & Shaun Elizondo
2023 VETERANS DAY SPECIAL EDITION | U.S. ARMY
PHOTOS BY VAST MEDIA, STORY BY ZACHARY COHEN
Hope & Perseverance
April 3, 2012 was a date Ashley and Shaun Elizondo will never forget. At the time, Ashley was back home with their young son, Aiden, in Alaska, and Shaun was deployed in Afghanistan with the Army. In the blink of an eye, their whole world turned upside down.
“My husband’s convoy was on their way home from a mission and hit an improvised explosive device (IED),” Ashley recalls. “The fire suppression system on the vehicle didn't work, so it went up in flames. Specialist Jeffery L. White Jr, the driver, was killed, and Shaun was trapped. He was able to climb over the radio mount in the center, and the gunner pulled him through the turret.”
By the grace of God, Shaun survived, but the next few months were laden with the hardships of recovery — both mental and physical. Shaun suffered third-degree burns on 60% of his body. He was flown from Afghanistan to Germany to Texas, undergoing several surgeries along the way. He spent 27 days in the hospital between ICU and inpatient care, and that was just the start of his recovery. But with faith and the strength of family, Shaun and Ashley persevered.
“Watching the strongest person I know struggle more than someone could put into words was devastating but also really inspiring,” Ashley continues. “Watching him struggle and come back was amazing but hard. I didn’t know if I’d ever have the same husband back. It took three months before I saw the first smile. I saw how people might not make it through those things, but we kept showing up for each other, and we made it through.”
“I was in a dark place for what seemed like a long time, but I didn’t want Aiden to see his dad stuck there,” Shaun adds. “I didn’t want the message to be that hard things happen, and you are stuck forever. I wanted him to know it's less about what happens and more about how you can overcome it and make the best of the situation. In time, that pulled me out of the darkness and the light came.”
On the other side of this tragedy was a new way of life for Ashley and Shaun. They rebuilt their lives with immense gratitude and renewed strength. After a stint in Texas, they returned to Alaska for a time, where Ashley continued pursuing a career in nursing. In 2015, they returned to their hometown of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, taking another step on their journey together.
In Oklahoma, Ashley continued pursuing a career as a nurse while Shaun tried his hand at real estate. He was licensed in 2015 and became so busy that Ashley joined him the following year.
“I kept getting busier, and eventually, she got licensed. It turns out she's a much better real estate agent than me,” Shaun says with a smile.
Shaun stepped away from the business for the next few years as he pursued a career with the Tulsa Fire Department. Meanwhile, Ashley took the reins in real estate, building a successful team and business. Shaun rejoined her in late 2022, and now they are building a top team together at Keller Williams Preferred.
Ashley and Shaun’s team is rooted in integrity and family values. They are driven to serve their community, one family at a time. Their ultimate vision is to have a small but mighty team that allows their community to grow and thrive. Their family is flourishing, too; their children, Aiden and Emalyn, are now 14 and 10.
Ashley and Shaun are redefining the future of their business and their family. They are also proving to the world that it’s not circumstances that define a person but, rather, how they react to those circumstances.
“You can do anything together. There is nothing that can get in the way when you move with common goals and commitment,” Ashley shares.
“It’s less about the bad things that happen to you and more about how you respond,” Shaun adds. “Our book is still being written, and the best parts are still to come.”
Military Roots
The military continues to be integral to Ashley and Shaun’s life. Ashley served in the military, too; she spent three years in the Army Reserves. Shaun aspires to one day start a tiny home community where homeless veterans can live for little or no cost.
