Sigma Kappa Member is First Known Sorority Casualty in Iraq

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Sigma Kappa Member is First Known Sorority Casualty in Iraq

On Tuesday, September 19, 2006, Ashley Henderson Huff was killed when a suicide car bomb exploded while she was on duty in Iraq. No one else in her unit was killed; however two soldiers were injured. Ashley, a 1st lieutenant in the 549th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, died of head and chest injuries inflicted during the explosion. She was stationed in Mosul, one of the most dangerous locations in Iraq.

As a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority, Epsilon Epsilon, The University of Georgia, Ashley, 23, had a unique college experience. Besides being a member of Sigma Kappa, she joined the ROTC, and loved it. After graduation in 2004, she moved to Savannah, Georgia. She married her husband, Brian Huff, in August 2005. Shortly after the wedding, Ashley was deployed to Iraq. She was killed just six weeks before she was scheduled to return home to the United States.

Although Ashley's death was unexpected, it was especially unusual from a Sigma Kappa viewpoint. Very few sorority members, including members of other NPC organizations, have served in hostile territory during the current conflict. To our knowledge, no other sorority has lost a member while serving overseas in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ashley's unique situation is heartbreaking, and equally unfair to all the family, friends, and sisters left behind. She was a hero, an honorable woman and sister who will be deeply missed.

Ashley was featured in the summer 2006 issue of the Sigma Kappa Triangle as a hero, a strong woman who was making an impact in Washington, DC, through her military efforts. The article was written in advance of her death, however, only hours before the magazine went to press, national headquarters received notice of her death. Ashley had planned to surprise her family with the article after its publication.

Ashley is survived by her parents, Janet and Mark, her siblings, Andrew and Abby, and her husband, Brian Huff.

Please send written condolences to:
Brian Huff
1858 Burch Briar Bend
Lawrenceville, GA 30043