THE FLOWERS weren’t just dead — they were a message.
Wilting in a hospital vase after his third lightning strike, Sheriff Terry Ashe stared at the bouquet, sent anonymously by enemies who knew he was vulnerable.
The sheriff had just shut down a major motorcycle gang’s rally that would’ve brought drugs and violence into Wilson County, and now they wanted him gone.
A $50,000 contract was out on his life, but Ashe, a Vietnam veteran and lifelong lawman, didn’t back down then.
And he wasn’t about to start now.
Now at 76 years old, Ashe has spent nearly 51 years in law enforcement, not counting military service.
Ashe grew up on a farm outside of Lebanon. His father, a decorated World War II Marine, was critically injured when Ashe was just 10 years old, spending the next 31 years in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital.
Ashe’s family struggled, losing their farm and moving into town, where he delivered newspapers.
Around this time, a close family friend and local sheriff made a lasting impact on his life.
“He used to come over and visit, and I was just enamored by his badge and his gun,” Ashe said. “He told me, ‘You’ll be sheriff someday,’ and gave me a little tin badge. I wish I still had it.”
Tragically, that same sheriff was killed in the line of duty shortly after.
That dream was put on hold when Ashe was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. He served as a paratrooper and reconnaissance scout with the 101st Airborne. He earned numerous commendations, including the Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts, and the Cross of Gallantry.
“Vietnam changed me forever,” he said. “Everybody who went over there left a part of themselves behind.”
His military experience prepared him for the life of a lawman.
“The leadership skills, the instincts, those carried into law enforcement,” he said. “I truly believe God had His hand on my shoulder the whole time.”
Back home, Ashe rose quickly through the ranks.
He began as a deputy sheriff in 1972, became a sergeant, then chief deputy, and later served as chief of detectives with the Lebanon Police Department.
In 1982, he was elected Wilson County sheriff, an office he held for an unprecedented eight consecutive terms.
Throughout his career, Ashe worked on high-profile cases and made tough decisions.
He helped take down the notorious “Southside Rapist,” investigated the Melrose murders and later solved a 40-year-old cold case involving the murder of a childhood friend’s brother. This investigation culminated in an exhumation and forensic analysis at the University of Tennessee’s body farm.
But his boldest campaign may have been his effort to “clean up” Bluebird Road, once a haven for drugs, gambling, and prostitution.
“What I thought would take six months took four years,” he said. “It wasn’t easy and there were attempts on my life, but I made a promise to the people, and I kept it.”
One of the most notorious gangs even placed a $50,000 contract on Ashe’s life in the 1980s; those who sent him the dead flowers in the hospital after he’d been struck by lightning.
“We didn’t back down,” he said.
Incredibly, lightning struck Ashe not once, but three times. Once at the age of 8 and twice on the same day in 1989 while moving hay.
“After that, nobody wanted to stand near me in a storm,” he joked.
He spent several days in the hospital with burns and fractures, but soon returned to work.
“I guess the Lord wasn’t finished with me.”
For Ashe, the rewards of service came not from medals or headlines, but from the people.
“I’ve had inmates stop me in the store to thank me for treating them with respect. Families I helped thank me for bringing them justice. That’s all the reward I need,” he said.
Even in retirement, Ashe continues to serve on multiple county boards and committees. He’s written a memoir, “Ashes of Bluebird,” and is working on a second book, “Daylight Moon,” about his Vietnam experience.
When asked what advice he’d give his younger self, Ashe said: “Remember how you got here. Stay close to your faith. Do the right thing when nobody’s looking. And spend more time with your family.”
What does he hope his legacy will be?
“I hope they say I was kind, that I was devoted to serving others, that I could be trusted, and that I gave it everything I had.” GN
To purchase “Ashes of Bluebird Road”or to learn more about Terry Ashe, visit ashesofbluebird.com
