thedrifter
07-28-08, 08:37 AM
Sunnyvale Marine follows family's military footsteps
08:00 AM CDT on Monday, July 28, 2008
By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News
imccann@dallasnews.com
SUNNYVALE – With American and Marine Corps flags flapping in the breeze, Jody and Barbara Ashford each pinned a gold bar on their daughter's uniform Sunday morning at their home.
And with her signature and oath, the daughter and granddaughter of Marines accepted her commission and became 2nd Lt. Erin Brooke Ashford.
"She's wanted to do this since eighth grade," said Mr. Ashford, who retired as a major in the late 1980s after more than a decade as an active-duty and reserve Marine. "She's been a Marine at heart ever since I can remember."
It was her father's service that first interested Lt. Ashford in the Marines, though Mr. Ashford said he didn't try to push her toward the military. Still, hearing stories and watching him as she grew up probably didn't hurt.
"My dad's my hero," said Lt. Ashford, 23. "We're already close, but now we're closer. It's so hard to talk about OCS [Officer Candidate School] or military service with a civilian. So now we've got that, too."
Friends and family at Sunday's commissioning ceremony described her as athletic, determined, patriotic and a natural leader. And even family members who said they had reservations about Lt. Ashford joining the Marines said they're confident she'll do well.
"I don't ever want her in harm's way," said grandmother Margaret Ashford, who lives in the East Texas town of Maydelle. "She's really determined to do what she wants to do. When she wants to do something, she does it her best."
Lt. Ashford said she knows she's in for a tough six months beginning in October, when she heads to Quantico, Va., for training at The Basic School, where new Marine officers begin their training. She's already been through 12 weeks over two summers for Officer Candidate School in Quantico.
"It was challenging physically, but being separated from my family was the hardest thing," Lt. Ashford said.
Barbara Ashford's father, Edgar Earl Hale, was a Marine sergeant during World War II and saw the American flag being raised at Iwo Jima. She said he served just the three years during the war, but he was always a Marine.
"The Marines are like a brotherhood – it becomes a piece of you; it's a part of you," Ms. Ashford said. "It's with such pride that she wants to do this."
Capt. Jesse Pletts, who works in officer recruiting in Fort Worth and oversaw Sunday's ceremony, said not everybody makes it through Officer Candidate School, and not all of them accept their commissions. But generations of military service can draw people to the Marines, he said.
"If somebody's family has a military history, there's a propensity for service," Capt. Pletts said.
Video
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/072808dnmetmarine.4386c84.html?npc
Ellie
08:00 AM CDT on Monday, July 28, 2008
By IAN McCANN / The Dallas Morning News
imccann@dallasnews.com
SUNNYVALE – With American and Marine Corps flags flapping in the breeze, Jody and Barbara Ashford each pinned a gold bar on their daughter's uniform Sunday morning at their home.
And with her signature and oath, the daughter and granddaughter of Marines accepted her commission and became 2nd Lt. Erin Brooke Ashford.
"She's wanted to do this since eighth grade," said Mr. Ashford, who retired as a major in the late 1980s after more than a decade as an active-duty and reserve Marine. "She's been a Marine at heart ever since I can remember."
It was her father's service that first interested Lt. Ashford in the Marines, though Mr. Ashford said he didn't try to push her toward the military. Still, hearing stories and watching him as she grew up probably didn't hurt.
"My dad's my hero," said Lt. Ashford, 23. "We're already close, but now we're closer. It's so hard to talk about OCS [Officer Candidate School] or military service with a civilian. So now we've got that, too."
Friends and family at Sunday's commissioning ceremony described her as athletic, determined, patriotic and a natural leader. And even family members who said they had reservations about Lt. Ashford joining the Marines said they're confident she'll do well.
"I don't ever want her in harm's way," said grandmother Margaret Ashford, who lives in the East Texas town of Maydelle. "She's really determined to do what she wants to do. When she wants to do something, she does it her best."
Lt. Ashford said she knows she's in for a tough six months beginning in October, when she heads to Quantico, Va., for training at The Basic School, where new Marine officers begin their training. She's already been through 12 weeks over two summers for Officer Candidate School in Quantico.
"It was challenging physically, but being separated from my family was the hardest thing," Lt. Ashford said.
Barbara Ashford's father, Edgar Earl Hale, was a Marine sergeant during World War II and saw the American flag being raised at Iwo Jima. She said he served just the three years during the war, but he was always a Marine.
"The Marines are like a brotherhood – it becomes a piece of you; it's a part of you," Ms. Ashford said. "It's with such pride that she wants to do this."
Capt. Jesse Pletts, who works in officer recruiting in Fort Worth and oversaw Sunday's ceremony, said not everybody makes it through Officer Candidate School, and not all of them accept their commissions. But generations of military service can draw people to the Marines, he said.
"If somebody's family has a military history, there's a propensity for service," Capt. Pletts said.
Video
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/072808dnmetmarine.4386c84.html?npc
Ellie