94TH AAMDC Soldier Chosen to Escort Dr. Jill Biden

By Story by Sgt. Louis Lamar 94th AAMDC Public AffairsJanuary 26, 2012

94TH AAMDC Soldier Chosen to Escort Dr. Jill Biden
Sgt. Ashleigh Berg (left side) a Malibu, Calif. native and the executive administrative assistant to the commanding general of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, was chosen to escort Dr. Jill Biden, one of America's most influential women... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Fort Shafter, Hawaii--Instead of watching the State of the Union Address on television like everyone else Sgt. Ashleigh Berg, an executive administrative assistant to the commanding general of the 94th Air and Missile Defense Command, was chosen to escort Dr. Jill Biden, one of America's most influential women there on Tuesday.

"I first met Dr. Biden in July 2010 while deployed to Camp Victory, Iraq," said Berg. "I was one of the 11 female soldiers chosen to eat lunch with her on her visit there."

Berg was also one of the few people that were chosen to sit in the First Lady's Box during the State of the Union Address.

When asked how she was able to get a VIP invite Berg said, "Dr. Biden remembered me from her trip to Camp Victory because we share the same passion for high heel shoes and she promised to maintain contact with us after her trip from Iraq."

When Berg was first given the news that she would be attending the address with such esteemed company she was really excited to be there and felt really comfortable since she met Dr. Biden before.

"The speech was amazing," said Berg. "It related to service members and the military pulling troops out of Afghanistan. That part really touched me since my husband just deployed there."

When asked if she was nervous Berg said "Not really. I was just nervous about the flight there."

My most memorable part of the night was reuniting with Dr. Biden since seeing her in Iraq and talking about our passion for shoe shopping," said Berg. "Another moment was when Dr. Biden asked how my husband was doing and told me to tell him happy birthday. That really meant a lot to me because she actually remembered his birthday and since he recently deployed to Afghanistan last week," said Berg.

"During my trip I also met President Obama and the First lady," said Berg. "They presented me with a presidential coin from the White House."