Ashley Ferguson, a 17-year-old senior at Sebastian River High School, was always close to her dad, Sergeant First Class Daniel Ferguson. The two shared a love of animals and extreme rollercoasters, hanging out together as much as his duty assignments with the U.S. Army would allow.
“I’m not a sports person, but we’d watch soccer and baseball on TV together. He was good at any sport. He played every sport in high school (in Mulberry, Florida). He was good at whatever he did,” Ashley said. “We loved going to Busch Gardens to see the animals. And that’s where my dad took me on my first big coaster when I was 8 or 9.”
But, this past April, that all ended, and today Ashley is planning the SFC Daniel Ferguson Memorial 5K Run and Walk, Nov. 15, in his memory. In the cover letter seeking runners and sponsors, Ashley writes, “On the morning of April 3, 2014, my life was forever changed when I was told that my father, Daniel Ferguson, was one of the three soldiers killed in the April 2 Fort Hood shooting as he barricaded himself against a door to protect a roomful of soldiers.”
SFC Ferguson had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and done two tours in Kuwait during the Gulf War, as a Transportation Management Coordinator. Finally he was back in the states, based at Ft. Hood, one of the largest military bases in the world, with a population in the thousands.
For her first few years, Ashley was an Army Brat, born to Nicole and Daniel Ferguson in Pisa, Italy, where her dad was stationed. The family also lived on bases in Ft. Sill, OK, and Wiesbaden, Germany, before Ashley and her mom moved back to Florida when her folks divorced, first to Vero Beach and then, in 2007, to Sebastian. Ashley has attended North County schools since kindergarten. Although she didn’t get to see her dad a lot, they talked on the phone every week. Even when he was stationed in an hours-different time zone, “he made sure he stayed up to call me, as always, at 5 p.m.”
Ashley spoke with enthusiasm about the race she’s planning, and with grace and composure about the day when her life “changed forever.”
On April 2, Ashley was hanging out with a friend, doing homework. Around dinner time, her mom saw something on the TV news about a shooting at Fort Hood. “I didn’t think too much about it because the base is so big,” “Ashley said. They texted her dad but still weren’t worried when he didn’t reply because, she said, he often didn’t text back right away, sometimes even going for days before he replied. “He’s probably OK. Don’t worry,” she told her mom. But later that evening, when they were doing dishes, she began to feel afraid. “But I didn’t want to believe it.”
The next day, April 3, “I was in class, when I was called in to the principal’s office. But they took me into the big conference room instead. The Casualty Officer and the Chaplain, and my mom and stepfather and my grandma were all there. And I knew.”
“The school did a really good job,” Ashley says of that awful time. Being surrounded by family, she says, sustained her through those first few surreal weeks. “When things were too much, I’d go off separately to just calm down. I could be alone when I needed to be, and with family when I needed to be.”
In her event letter, she writes, “It is my dream to make a very patriotic event. I would like to have an honor guard attend, find someone to sing the National Anthem, have veterans and volunteers wave flags along the course, have a group of soldiers and former soldiers run in formation singing cadence and to have dog-tag type finisher’s medals for everyone who crosses the finish line.”
After researching a number of non-profit organizations, Ashley has chosen K9s for Warriors as recipient of the funds raised from the Nov. 15 Riverview Park event. Based in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, K9s for Warriors mission is “providing service canines to our warriors suffering from post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injury post 9/11. Our goal is to give a new leash on Life to rescue dogs and military heroes, empowering warriors to return to civilian life with dignity and independence.” Money raised will help provide and train shelter dogs.
Sponsorship levels include: Sergeant First Class – $1,500; Staff Sergeant – $1,000; Sergeant – $750; Corporal – $250; and Water Station Sponsor – $100. Tee-Shirt, award medal and dog-tag sponsors are also sought. Runner’s Depot is handling the race itself. Sponsors already on board include: Gould Cooksey Fennell/SFC; ReMax Crown Realty/CPL; an anonymous sponsor/CPL; as well as Community Tire and Auto of Sebastian, a Water Station Sponsor.
Entry fee is $25 in advance, $30 on race day. Awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers in the usual 5K age categories.
“My dad loved animals so much. I know he’d run in this race,” said Ashley.
And he would most certainly be proud of his daughter, as she faces her own loss with the bravery of a warrior.
For further information contact Event Chair Ashley Ferguson, or Nicole Raynor – 772-321-1996, or email [email protected] or the Runners Depot website: www.runnersdepotvb
