Inner Circle Spotlight: Sarah Duncan
Blog
On the Swypit Show podcast, I recently sat down with Sarah Duncan, Regional Director of the amazing non-profit organization, Folds of Honor in North Texas. Sarah is a “Gold Star Daughter,” which refers to members of a family who have lost a loved one during service to their country in the line of duty. I’m going to share Sarah’s story because I really want people to know who Sarah is and how she first got involved with Folds of Honor, such an amazing organization, and how she came to be the Regional Director. In addition, Sarah heads up the annual Folds of Honor Gala which is happening this November 12th at the ATT Stadium right here in Dallas. You can find out how to become a sponsor, donate, or buy tickets for the event at www.FoldsofHonor.org.
The Proud Daughter of Captain Dennis Michael White, U.S. Air Force
Sarah shared with the Swypit audience that she grew up in Georgia with her mom and younger brother who both still live there. She explained to us that her dad, Captain Dennis Michael White of the United States Air Force, was the weapons systems officer in the backseat of the F-15 Striker Eagle. For anyone who has seen the movie Top Gun, Sarah’s dad was like the character Goose. He was the navigator in the back seat. Back in 1995, over Easter weekend, Captain White went out for a routine flight check off the coast of North Carolina where the family was living at the time.
On that day, Sarah shared, her dad and his pilot experienced spatial disorientation and were forced to eject from their aircraft. She then said, “My mom and my brother and I got that fateful knock at the door the next morning from the Squadron Commander, the Squadron Commander’s wife, a preacher, and our neighbor letting us know that there had been an accident. The pilot survived, but Captain White’s body was never recovered from the Atlantic Ocean. Sarah was just six years old at the time. Her brother was four.
Difficult Times, High School, College, and Financial Aid
Sarah explained that her mom was just trying to keep her head above water over the next several years. Sarah went to work as soon as she turned 16 and could drive. She worked at a local Chick-Fil-A through high school. When she was a junior in high school she started applying to colleges and searching for financial aid opportunities. It didn’t take long for her to realize there was very little financial assistance for families like hers. Nonetheless, she got into Auburn University where she worked in the admissions office through all four years. It was during her sophomore year Sarah discovered Folds of Honor while doing a Google search for financial aid for military families. She applied for aid through Folds of Honor and that’s when lots of good things finally started happening. Through her scholarship application Folds of Honor, which was a young organization founded in 2007, the year Sarah graduated from high school, Sarah’s story came to their attention. Sarah was invited to share her story at a local press conference in Atlanta. That’s when she met Folds of Honor founder, Lieutenant Colonel Dany Rooney.
Sarah became sort of a spokeswoman for Folds of Honor, speaking and sharing her story through the rest of her college years. She graduated in 2011 with a degree in marketing and ended up moving to Dallas. She got a job in medical sales and did that for three years, while she continued doing a little bit of speaking on the side for Fold of Honor. As the organization grew and expanded, they wanted to hire more people regionally. That’s when Sarah was given the opportunity to get on board full time with Folds of Honor.
The Folds of Honor Gala, November 12th at ATT Stadium
Gold Star Families like Sarah’s always have a special place in my heart because they’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. People seem to forget how our freedom isn’t free, it comes at a price that so many people like Sarah’s dad are willing to pay. So, make it your business to check out the Folds of Freedom Gala information at www.NorthTexas.Foldsofhonor.org. If you can’t attend, you can contribute by making a donation. Also check out the documentary film Folds of Honor on Amazon Prime.
Listen to the podcast HERE.