AN ELKMONT VETERAN

The Decatur Daily had an article featuring various veterans in our area.  One of Elkmont's own was chosen to spotlight. Link to Faces of Freedom: Veterans of North Alabama

Sandra Thompson

Air Force

Rank: Master Sergeant

Years of service: 1986-2007

Town: Elkmont

A framed photograph of a 21-year-old Sandra Thompson clad in a U.S. Air Force basic training uniform sits on a shelf inside her back office at the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives. Beside the photograph, Thompson’s current uniform, crisp and neatly pressed, appeared on a mannequin. Rows of ribbons and service medals covered the left chest, and the insignia for master sergeant was stitched to the upper left arm.

“I came from a poor family and didn’t have any money for college. The Air Force was my ticket out of Wabash, Indiana,” Thompson said. “My family said I was too hard-headed and would never make it. That was a challenge for me. I thought, 'I’ll show you.' My plan was to do four years to get money for school.”

When she finally retired in 2007, Thompson, who trained as a cook and in education, had served 21 years, earned two associate degrees, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, traveled to England, Korea, Germany and Saudi Arabia and witnessed the transformation of the military. 

When I enlisted, the Cold War was on. There was a threat, but you knew who the enemy was. Sept. 11 changed the world completely. Today, you don’t know who your enemy is,” said Thompson, who deployed to Saudi Arabia for six months after the 9/11 attacks."

Thompson was 21 — the second oldest in her class — when she joined the Air Force. Today, women make up about 20 percent of all Air Force personnel. Growing up in a home with four brothers and a father who served in the Air Force helped prepare Thompson for the military.

“I did encounter some men that worked for me who thought women should be at home and not in the military. It didn’t bother me. As long as they did what I said, we were fine. That’s why you have rules of order,” Thompson said.

After retiring, Thompson moved from Santa Fe to Elkmont and earned the role of director of the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives.

With uniforms, weapons and photographs from Germany, Beirut, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea and France, the museum serves as a tangible link to the past.

“History ignored is history repeated. This place teaches future generations about the past so that we won’t do the same things again,” Thompson said. “I know ‘freedom isn’t free’ is a cliché, but when you look around at all the stuff in the museum, it really brings that saying home.”

A benefit for the museum featuring Elvis tribute artist Michael Dean and Memphis, will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Limestone County Senior Center. Tickets cost $15 in advance at the museum or $20 the night of the show.