A former Eagles cheerleader joined the Army after college. Now, she’s the team’s Salute to Service nominee.
Washburn, a former Army captain, served six years on active duty and was deployed to Afghanistan twice. She was a cheerleader from 2007 to 2010 while she was a student at Drexel.
Former Eagles cheerleader Rachel Washburn was named the team’s nominee for the NFL’s annual Salute to Service Award.
Washburn is a former U.S. Army captain and served six years on active duty as an intelligence officer. She was deployed to Afghanistan twice, first as part of the cultural support team and second as an intelligence platoon leader.
She was a cheerleader for the Eagles from 2007 to 2010 while she attended Drexel. Washburn has also been an ambassador during Salute to Service and has led community initiatives in affiliation with Eagles.
As part of the CST, Washburn was one of first women to train and deploy with the special operations teams to Afghanistan. She lived in a village in southern Afghanistan for nine months and trained local security forces, conducted over 100 combat operations, and engaged with the female population.
After her combat tours, Washburn was awarded the Bronze Star Medal — the fourth-highest combat award and the ninth-highest military decoration in the United States Armed Forces — and Combat Action Badge.
Washburn remained in the Army until 2016 and now is the vice president of geopolitical intelligence and capital markets at Academy Securities, a veteran-owned investment bank that works to train, hire, and mentor post-9/11 veterans.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was the Salute to Service winner last year. This is the 16th edition of the award, which honors a league member for their commitment to supporting the military community.
Washburn is looking to become the first member of the Eagles organization to win the Salute to Service award. Three finalists will be announced in January.
Fans can vote (once per day) for their favorite nominee until Nov. 30.
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