Army 1st Lt. Ashley Tabor Pringle, a Sebago native, spends her days at Camp Taji, Iraq, far from the fresh air and four seasons of the Lakes Region.

Pringle’s parents operate Tabor’s Variety in Standish. Pringle is doing important work overseas and recently received recognition for it. As a military intelligence officer operating in a classified area, she can’t divulge much about what she does, but explained that her job “is to try to ensure aviation assets are used efficiently as possible,” she wrote in an e-mail last week.

Additional Photos

Ashley Pringle, right, a 2004 Lake Region High School graduate, and her husband, Anthony, in front of a helicopter at Camp Taji, located north of Baghdad in Iraq. Courtesy photo

A 2004 graduate of Lake Region High School, Pringle recently helped coordinate an important flight for the vice president of a large military contractor, retired Lt. Gen. John Cusick, as well as Theater Security Director Kenly Nifong, a retired colonel. Both flew between divisions within Iraq to conduct surveys.

“It was a mission which involved several flights over a couple of days,” she said. “Some of the flights were to remote areas in Iraq and close to the border. It involved a lot of work by making sure the flights all linked together. As forces in Iraq draw down, resources are very limited and assets need to be planned and used as efficiently as possible.”

Military contractor Kellogg Brown Root presented Pringle with a certificate of appreciation for her work on behalf of Cusick. KBR supports many energy, petrochemical, government services and civil infrastructure duties for the Army.

Pringle has been in Iraq for nearly a year and is assigned to Headquarters Company, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, based in Fort Riley, Kan. She feels especially fortunate to be deployed with her husband, Anthony, who flies a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from Camp Taji.

Pringle says pilots really earn their wings in the Iraqi summer when they spend several hours in cockpits of 140 degrees.

In Standish, Pringle’s parents have been watching over the couple’s two dogs. She said she misses Sebago Lake and its unique attractions such as our country fairs.

“I miss my parents and my two brothers,” she said. “I miss the seasons and the fresh air. Maine is a truly beautiful place. I also miss the food — good old Italian sandwiches, whoopie pies and the Fryeburg Fair! My husband is not from Maine so he has never been, but we will certainly try to make it up there next fall.”

Pringle also said she’s pretty excited to get back to Fort Riley and spend some time in one place. Because she is a military intelligence officer, Pringle will attend the Military Captain’s Career course in Arizona within the next year. She’ll also be promoted to captain in the fall. The Pringles haven’t decided where to settle down yet, but love the Northeast.

“My husband has another four years left, so we know we will at least be at an active-duty post until then,” she said. “I am not sure how long I will stay in the military; I only have a year commitment left on my contract, so I will have to decide in a couple months.”

Don Perkins is a freelance writer who lives in Raymond. He can be reached at:

presswriter@gmail.com

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