Behind the Scenes with Tribute Speaker Cadet Ashleigh Sanford
Last Tuesday, Wade Hampton High School had a moving patriotic ceremony with the Wade Hampton AFJROTC Color Guard in charge of the flag ceremony, Cadet Ashleigh Sanford presenting the 9/11 Tribute speech and Deputy Jeremy Jones and Deputy Fire Chief Billy Smith laying of the 9/11 wreath in front of the flag pole. Chris Mills, Cadet Jonathan Levasseur, and twelve other Cadets stood in formation for the playing of Taps. At the end of the flagpole ceremony, students and faculty had goose bumps as they remember the tragic events that happened that unforgettable day…a day that everyone will remember what they were doing the minute the planes hit the Twin Towers.
AFJROTC Senior Cadet Ashleigh Sanford stayed after the ceremony and told us her experiences in the AFJROTC program at Wade Hampton High School.
Ashleigh grew up in a family where her mom served at Reese Air Force Base, in Lubbock, Texas, for four years as a Bio-Medical Engineer. Her job was to take care of all the medical equipment in the hospital and make sure it was safe for the patients. Her mom, Dottie Sanford, took much pride in her daughter’s decision to join the AFJROTC program at Wade Hampton three years ago. “It is an overwhelming sense of emotion to see my daughter be a part of the Air Force. I am so proud of her,” declares Mrs. Sanford.
When Ashleigh started in the program three years ago, she was a shy freshman who was scared to death to speak in front of people. Now, she is a confident Senior Cadet who has learned more about the different roles in the Air Force.
Ashleigh has held many leadership positions while in the JRROTC program. Her sophomore year, she served as Linguistics Commander and her Junior Year she served as a Group Commander over 100 cadets.
What training exercise made a difference in how she sees the world? She said that in her sophomore year, each cadet held different positions within the United Nations. Each cadet had to figure out how to lead in negotiations with military and political leaders during World War 11. She learned, “the best way not to have war, what these United Nations delegates went through and how we can make everyone happy.”
Ashleigh recounts her 9/11 experience. She was early elementary age when the event took place – lockdown in her school in Tennessee. When she got home, her mom told her what happened.” In middle school, I understood the concept of the planes flying into the building and they tried to fight back and save more people. They did not think-just acted,” affirms Ashleigh.
Today, she confidently takes great American pride to speak at 9/11 and Veterans Day Ceremonies to express how proud she is of those men and women who sacrificed their lives on that day.