Veteran Spotlight: Army National Guard Cpl. Ashley Buchanan

FALMOUTH, Mass. — Ashley Buchanan served her country in the Army National Guard as a corporal for seven years. 

 

She was born in Boston then moved to Las Vegas, where she lived until she entered service. Buchanan would do her basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., where she said, "it was anything but relaxing."

 

"I had my mom sign the contract on my 17th birthday so I could join," she said. "I took summer school and graduated early. My goal was to be a pilot and I had an 89 ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), peak physical condition and mental aptitude."

 

But she became convinced that a $10,000 bonus would help her go further, so instead of being a pilot, she took the humanitarian critical Military Occupational Specialty. 

 

"I did a whole lot of PMCS (Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services) on the trucks and police calls for trash," she remembered.

 

Buchanan's first assignment would take her to Fort Lee, Va., where she was a water purification specialist, learning on Vietnam-era equipment right before it shifted to new technology. 

 

Deployments? "I was meant to deploy to Afghanistan and had all the deployment training and overseas shots, but they felt I was young and wanted me on rear detail," she recalled. 

 

What were the holidays like? "I spent Thanksgiving in AIT (Advanced Individual Training). It was quite untraditional but I loved it," she said. "I never had a big family but I certainly made them here. I remember I tried Calle Ocho for the first time and ate rye bread with Jameson."

 

How was the entertainment during service? "My first thought was The Baghdad Bangers ... a few of me and my battle buddies would anonymously run through the men's floor, causing a ruckus," she laughed. "We definitely found ways to entertain ourselves. ...

 

"While training for my second MOS (25Q satellite operations and maintenance) there were DVDs you could check out. I basically watched two different movies every night and wrote a lot of letters."

 

Thoughts on service to the country? "I don't regret it. I still have a very cute letter I wrote on 9/11. And with my very meek allowance money, I wanted to help," she said. "This translated forward — I learned so much at a young age and I knew I was capable of anything and everything. My attention to detail is keen and I love my battle buddies. I would never want to discourage service but I think right now, it seems less like defending our country and more protecting personal government and billionaire interests."

 

Corp. Ashley Buchanan, thank you for your service to our great country.

 

Wayne Soares is the host of the popular new veterans cooking show, "The Mess Hall" that airs Saturdays on NBC's NECN at 9:30 a.m. He also entertains our troops around the globe and is the host and producer of the Vietnam veterans documentary "Silent Dignity – The Chapter That Never Ends." He can be reached at waynesoares1@gmail.com.