Erin McLoughlin

US Air Force

Erin enlisted in the US Air Force directly following high school. Upon completion of basic training and graduation from medical laboratory technician school, she deployed to Iraq. When she returned, Erin became a special missions aviator and later deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq four times in support of Special Operations Forces as an aircrew instructor.

During flight testing, Erin suffered a rare form of decompression illness that permanently damaged her nervous system. After she medically retired from the Air Force, Erin started on a bachelor’s degree but was unable to complete it at the time due to her injury. Not one to give up, she applied to the Sentinels of Freedom Program, determined to finish her degree. With SOF’s help, Erin was not only able to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management from Trident University, but she was also able to participate in and graduate from the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child-Rescue Corps program. After securing employment as a computer forensic analyst with the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Erin is now a Technical Analyst with Highmark/Labcorp.

“Sentinels of Freedom has provided me with support and a group of professionals that go beyond a scholarship. Each individual that I have met and been in contact with I can consider a friend and someone to trust. Being a SOF member/graduate makes me extremely proud. SOF provided me with so much more than the ability to go to school; you provided me with the confidence to get my life back in order knowing I had you rooting for me every step of the way.”