BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --
Nearly six years have
passed since news of vehicle operator Senior Airman Ashton Goodman’s death
traveled from the fields of Afghanistan to the doorstep of those she loved. Goodman,
21, was killed when a roadside improvised explosive device detonated underneath
the Humvee she was driving while deployed in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom May 26, 2009.
A memorial was dedicated
in Goodman’s honor and placed at the vehicle operations compound July 24, 2010.
Now, as the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron draws down, Airmen
developed a way to maintain Goodman’s memory.
Honoring a promise never
to forget the fallen, members of the 455 ELRS made the decision to convert her
memorial into a shadowbox, preserving the legacy of their fellow Airman and conveying
appreciation to Goodman’s family.
“Senior Airman Goodman was a vehicle operator working
with a provincial reconstruction team in Panjshir,” said Senior Master Sgt. Derick
Crosdale, 455 ELRS Deployment and Distribution Flight superintendent. “She was
here on her second tour, an assignment for which she volunteered.”
During her deployment, Goodman spent a significant portion
of her time outside the wire supporting engineering missions in the
Panjshir Province and developed a passion for providing mentorship to the
Afghani women she encountered. Years later her reputation as a selfless and
exemplary Airman is still renowned throughout the squadron.
“As Operation Enduring Freedom ended and Operation Freedom’s
Sentinel began coinciding with the drawdown of American forces in Afghanistan,
the vehicle operators here thought it would be an honor and a tribute to do
something for Senior Airman Goodman and her family as we prepare to pack up and
leave,” Crosdale said.
With this objective in mind, a team of 455 ELRS Airmen led by
Tech. Sgt. Christopher McDaniel, began construction on a shadowbox that would
both illuminate Goodman’s desire to touch the lives of those around her, as
well as pay homage to her sacrifice.
“We had a photograph of Senior Airman Goodman etched locally and
we were able to work with people on base to get the patches as well,” said
Senior Airman Darell Despojo, 455 ELRS Traffic Management. “General Kelly
[Brig. Gen. Mark Kelly, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing commander], gave us the
coins and Staff Sgt. Gonzales [Staff Sgt. Jeremy Gonzales, 455 ELRS Traffic
Management], constructed the box itself.”
Though Goodman’s life is the epitome of a life
interrupted, her death serves as a continual reminder to the living.
“The thing is to never forget,” Crosdale said. “Never
ever forget, because she paid the ultimate sacrifice and we’re here to carry
on. As long as there is a fight left to fight, we’ll never forget.”