SHERIFF TERRY ASHE

 

      He was born in Wilson County, Tennessee, November 22, 1948 to Joseph Henry Ashe and Audrey Clark Gregory.  He was raised on a farm in the Tuckers Cross Road Community and later moved to Lebanon, Tennessee.  At age 10 he became a paperboy and has been working publicly since then.  Educated in the Wilson County/Lebanon School System; he was drafted in the U.S. Army in 1966 and served in Vietnam from 1967-1968.  He later served his country with the Tennessee Army National Guard.  He owned his own business and a small farm, while working as a general foreman for the Robertshaw Corp.  In 1972 Mr. Ashe entered law enforcement part-time as a reserve deputy and in 1974 full-time.  He worked as Wilson County’s Chief Deputy Sheriff, the City of Lebanon’s Chief of Detectives, and Sheriff of Wilson County since 1982.  Sheriff Ashe and his wife Beth attend Immanuel Baptist Church and have three children:  Johnny, a fireman, Trevor, a student at Louisiana Tech University and daughter Jesse, a student at Middle Tennessee State University and an employee at Cracker Barrel Corporate Offices.  They also have one grandson.

 

  

MILITARY SERVICE

 

·        Served United States Army 101st Airborne Division Infantry – Tour of Duty in the Republic of Vietnam 1967-1968

·        Ft. Bragg N.C. 82nd Airborne Division Infantry 1968-1969

·        Tennessee Army National Guard 3/109 Armor Tank Division 1970-1978

 

MILITARY AWARDS

 

·        3 Purple Hearts

·        2 Bronze Stars

·        1 Army Commendation Medal

·        1 Vietnam Cross of Gallantry

·        1 Vietnam Campaign Medal - 3 Stars

·        1 Vietnam Service Medal

·        1 United States Service Medal

·        1 Good Conduct

·        1 National Guard Service Medal

·        Combat Infantry Badge

·        U.S. Army Parachute Wing

·        2 Presidential Unit Citations

·        In 1989 the 101st Congress at the National Capital paid him honor by passing a resolution honoring his public service and military services and recognized him as an American Hero.

 

 

COMMITTEES

 

·        Served on Tennessee Peace Officers and Standards Commission for 12 years, 2 years as Chairman.

·        1st Sheriff in the State to serve on the Governors Juvenile Justice Committee.

·        Served as President of the Tennessee Sheriffs Association from 1985 - 1994.

·        Chairman of the 15th Judicial District Drug Task Force 1987-1990.

·        Served on the Emergency 911 Board 1998-Present

·        Served on County Finance Committee 1991-1994.

·        Former Chairman Wilson County Youth Ranch Board

·        Governing Board - U.M.C. Hospital  (1 Year Chairman)

·        Acting Executive Director / Tennessee Sheriff’s Association 2008

 

 

CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS & CHARITIES

 

·        Exchange Club

·        American Legion

·        Veterans of Foreign Wars

·        Disabled American Veterans

·        American Cancer Society

·        March of Dimes

·        American Heart Association

·        Leukemia Foundation

·        Community Help Center

·        Tennessee Sheriff’s Association

·        National Sheriff’s Association

·        Middle Tennessee Law Enforcement Executive Committee

·        National Law Enforcement Executive Development Assoc.

·        A.A.R.P. - Wilson County Chapter #5023

·        Brooks House Advisor Board

·        Potters House Advisor Board

 

AWARDS

 

·        Law Enforcement Officer of the Year – Civitan International - 1981

·        Outstanding Service Award - Corps of Engineers - Nashville District - 1984

·        Sheriff of Year - Tennessee - 1986

·        Sheriff of Year in 1994 (declined award to pass on to other Sheriff’s who had done an outstanding job

·        Resolution before the 101st United States Congress for Public Service - 1989

·        Governors Award - Outstanding Tennessean - 1990

·        Law Enforcement Officer of the Year - Buford Pusser Foundation - 1996

·        Outstanding Alumni Award - Lebanon High School - 1998

·        Outstanding Service Award - Wilson Co Foster Care 1998-2000

·        Local Government Award - Senior Citizens Program - 13 Counties & 52 Cities - 2001

·        Outstanding Public Servant Award - Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce - 2003

·        Child Support Enforcement Recognition Award - South Eastern Law Enforcement Training Center - 2004  - Representing Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama

·        Wilsonian Award / Mt. Juliet Chamber

 

 

EDUCATION

 

·        Graduate A.A. Middle Tennessee State University

·        Graduate B.S. University of New York

·        Graduate (CTAS) Certified Public Administration / University of Tennessee   

·        Attended Cumberland College

·        Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy Basic School -

·        Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy Criminal Investigations -

·        Attended National Institute of Justice -  

·        Jail Management - Bolder, Colorado -  

·        Population Forecasting - Bolder, Colorado

·        Federal Bureau of Prisons - Jail Certification -  - Dallas, Texas

·        Certificate of Compliance - Sheriff - Tennessee - Peace Officer Standard Training Commission

·        Federal Bureau Investigation Academy, Quantico, Virginia - "LEEDA"

·        Instructor - Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy - 6 Years - Crime Scene Investigations

·        License – Real Estate – State of Tennessee

 

 

Sheriff Ashe has served longer as Sheriff than anyone in the history of Wilson County, (which was established in 1799) making him one of the longest serving Sheriff’s in the State of Tennessee.  

 

He has been appointed by three Tennessee Governors to serve on major committees for the state of Tennessee.    He is the co-founder of the Wilson County Sheriff Youth Ranch, which served the needs of over 500 dependent and negligent children for over 22 years.  Sheriff Ashe is also the co-founder of the 15th Judicial Drug Task Force in 1987 (which received numerous state awards for outstanding drug enforcement).

 

Sheriff Ashe was the first Sheriff in the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association to be elected President in his first term.  He traveled to Washington D.C. in 1986, along with Lawson White, Executive Director and secured a grant that placed computers and NCIC servers into every county in Tennessee.  He served 25 continuous years on the Board of Directors making him one of the longest serving President’s, Vice-President’s, or past President’s in the history of the association.  Sheriff Ashe presently serves as Acting Executive Director.