As she prepared to graduate from Edwardsville High School in 2004, Ashley Bradford wasn’t sure what to do with her life. But a chance encounter with a recruiter led her to a career with the Illinois Air National Guard, and she’s never looked back.
Bradford has been a member of the Illinois Air National Guard since shortly after high school and has also served in the U.S. Air Force. She is a master sergeant stationed at Scott Air Force Base and is an instructor/evaluator and boom operator for the 126th Air Refueling Wing .
Bradford was originally from Collinsville and was in junior high when her father built a house in Hamel and moved the family there, including her two younger sisters…