Hurricanes, rescues and faith

A love of country and water led Ashlee Leppert to the Coast Guard, where she served for 14 years before being medically retired. She appears as the guest on The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast this week to discuss her service, memoir and faith.

“I kind of had a crazy career but wanted to break every barrier that was placed before me and serve my country the best that I could,” she said.

In the Coast Guard, she was an avionics electrical technician, which means she was in charge of maintaining all the navigational, communications and other equipment that kept the helicopters flying. She was also on the rescue flight crew for various missions, including Hurricane Harvey.

“That was quite impactful in my personal and professional life,” she says of the Category 4 hurricane that caused massive flooding and destruction in Texas and Louisiana in 2017.  

Leppert, author of “The Hurricane Within,” flew hundreds of missions during her service, rescuing over 100 people. She trained more than 60 crew members and flight mechanics who served bravely and effectively.

She explained her motivation for writing the book stemmed from the trauma she has faced over the years. “I wanted to share with everybody the good, bad and ugly that I had gone through in my life. Just to be vulnerable and show people that they are not alone in their struggles. And most importantly, to talk about my faith. That’s very important for me to share.”

Leppert says writing the book was the bravest thing she has ever done.

“If just one person is inspired or finds healing or finds their faith, then it is worth my personal scared feelings.”

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