David Ashe

From dKosopedia

Categories: Virginia Democrats | Fighting Dems

Biography

David Ashe is a Tidewater Native, and he was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1968. David attended Larrymore Lawns Elementary until his family moved to Virginia Beach. Attended Independence Jr. High, graduated from Princess Anne High School, enrolled and graduated from Virginia Tech, worked in Washington on Capitol Hill, served as an interns for a U.S. Senator, secured a position with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as part of the marketing staff and later a policy analyst.

In Fall of 1994, David entered District of Columbia School of Law. During a break from law school, he completed U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in 1996 and was commissioned a second lieutenant, finished his third year of law and passed the Virginia Bar exam two months after graduation.

In the Marine Corps, David spent a few months at the Washington Navy Yard and the Pentagon, then began the Basic Officer Course in Quantico. Six months of infantry training later, David was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California.

For two years, David provided general practice legal services to Marines, soldiers, sailors and their families. For the next two years after that, David, now a captain, was in the court-room, trying hundreds of cases in courts-martial. At that point, David decided to leave active duty. It was September of 2001.

When the September 11th attacks occurred, David was visiting his family in Virginia Beach. 48 hours after the attacks, David rented a car and made his way to Manhattan. He entered the perimeter with a group of police officers and spent several days at GroundZero searching for survivors with the rest of the "bucket brigades." Two weeks later, David was recalled to active duty.

Upon return to active duty, David was assigned as deputy legal counsel to the commanding general of all west coast Marine forces with geographic responsibility for the Middle East. For most of 2002, David was part of Operation Enduring Freedom deployed to Kuwait as sole-legal counsel to the commanding general of a special-purpose coalition task force, working with Czechs, Germans and Kuwaitis. At the end of 2002, David returned home and married Bethanie Shaw Szugda in December of 2002.

In March 2003, David was deployed again. Within a few weeks, he was attached to an infantry battalion assigned to the Al Muthanna region of Iraq. David was the sole coalition legal representative assigned to restore the judicial system in an area which covered approximately 1/9 of Iraq.

In the streets of Iraq, all day every day, David fired crooked Baathist judges, appointed new judges, drafted a local government charter, helped train police officers and was able to secure over a quarter of a million dollars from Ambassador Bremer's office to restore law in this area of Iraq. He traveled overland to Basrah, Baghdad, Nasiriya and other areas to get the job done. He also participated in foot patrols in their region to ensure security and Marine presence.

In October 2003, David left active duty after 7 years of service and lives now in Virginia Beach with his wife, Bethanie, who is a critical care nurse. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar and Temple Israel Synagogue.

David's father and mother, married for 38 years, live in Virginia Beach where his father is an architect and his mother is a retired special education teacher. His younger sister is an MD specializing in emergency medicine, married to a career Army chief warrant officer with two daughters. David's older brother is an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission in Washingon, D.C., married to a teacher with two children.

In 2006, David Ashe campaigned for Congress in Virginia's 2nd District (see Virginia U.S. House election, 2006), but in February he withdrew to accept a job with the administration of Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine. Ashe was one of the Fighting Dems.

External Links

• David Ashe bio - Daily Kos diary
• David Ashe for Congress - campaign website