Warrior of the Week: Airman 1st Class Ashley Miller

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Luis Loza Gutierrez
  • 319th Air Base Wing
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  

Rank and name: Airman 1st Class Ashley Miller

Unit: 319th Security Forces Squadron

Duty title: Installation Entry Controller

Time in service: 11 months

Time on station: 5 months

Hometown: Monterey, Tenn.

Why is serving in the Air Force important to you?
Serving is important to me because my country is important to me. My family, my friends and my brothers and sisters who I serve alongside with--all of them are important to me. So by getting to serve in the United States Air Force, I feel like a make a positive difference because I get to help protect someone down the road. Regardless of what may come of it, it remains important.

What moment or accomplishment as a Warrior of the North are you most proud of and why?
I have received a couple awards since I got here, but the best moments for me here are whenever I am working as an entry controller at the base's main gate and someone goes directly to my chain of command after driving through and compliments me on how I treated them, or how they are proud to have me as Warrior of the North. Whenever I can make a positive impact on someone's day, no matter how slight it may be, it makes me proud.

What is your favorite part of your job and why is it your favorite part?
My favorite thing about my job is having the knowledge that people depend and rely on us. I enjoy knowing that my country has entrusted me to protect others. I love helping people and would do anything within my power to ensure I am protecting them to the best of my abilities.

Who inspires you and why?
My mother, Allana Miller, inspires me. She is the strongest person I've ever met. She raised my sister and me as a single mother while at the same time battling a brain condition called hydrocephalus (a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain) and numerous other health conditions that she acquired from injuries suffered in a car wreck when I was around three years old.
Despite the fact that she has had 100 plus surgeries since, she has been the most caring mother possible and always doing anything to insure my sister and I are taken care of. Even though she goes in for brain surgery this week, she keeps checking in to make sure I'm doing okay and asking if I need anything. I love my mom.

What's the first thing that made you think Grand Forks Air Force Base was a cool place other than the temperature or weather?
The first thing that made me think that Grand Forks Air Force Base was a cool place is definitely the people, specifically the people in my flight. We spend a lot of time with one another both on and off duty, whether it's getting together for a barbecue or just hanging out and watching a movie at a friend's home. We're a tight bunch. They're the ones that make me love this place.