Remembering a National Treasure

Fifteen years have passed since Capt. Kimberly Hampton ’98 was killed in Fallujah, Iraq, defending her country. Still, she remains in the hearts and minds of those close to the ROTC program and beyond. Last year, NASCAR honored Hampton when Kyle Larson’s car carried her name during the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend. The U.S. Department of Defense honored Hampton by naming its new school at Fort Bragg, N.C., Kimberly Hampton Primary School. Approximately 800 kindergarten and first-grade students attend the school. And during the ROTC Commissioning Ceremony each year, a junior Highlander Battalion cadet who personifies hard work, courage, leadership and honor to school and country is presented with the Kimberly Hampton Leadership Award.

Hampton’s life continues to serve as an inspiration for all that she accomplished as a student, student-athlete, ROTC cadet and captain in the U.S. Army. A few of those who knew Hampton share their thoughts on the national treasure who remains in our hearts and minds.

THE STUDENT

“Kimberly took my American Renaissance class during her last semester here at PC, and it took all of one class period for me to tall in love with her smile. Hers was a smile that hugged people; it was the smile of someone filled with joie de vivre. We clicked right away, and I loved teasing her about being so perfect. After reading about her acing another tennis match, after handing her back yet another ‘A’ paper, I’d say, ‘You’re getting to be monotonous, Kim!’ And that beautiful smile would light up the room.

“She was more Renaissance than Shakespeare. She’d come to class one day wearing her Fellowship of Christian Athletes shirt; come in the next day carrying her tennis racquet and

guzzling from her squirt bottle to cool down from practice; and show up the next day in her Army fatigues, combat boots shining. I’d say, ‘What’s the persona gonna be tomorrow, Kim?’ And there went that smile again.” - Dr. Dean Thompson, the Mary H. Edmunds and de Saussure Davis Edmunds Professor of English

STUDENT-ATHLETE

“Kimberly and I were doubles partners her senior year. We spoke the same language and communicated almost 100% without saying a word. It was really amazing. During spring break of her senior and my freshman year, we went to California to play four matches against highly ranked schools, including UC-Davis. We were underdogs for the whole trip.

“Kimberly got sick during the trip. In true Kimberly fashion, she didn’t let it keep her from playing. It took more than a cold and flu bug to stop Kimberly. We stepped out on the court that day, looked at each other in our unspoken language way, and she never wavered. I refused to let her down because I knew she would never let me down. She went out there sick as a dog.

“I told her I would do everything possible, not to move unless the ball came to her, to just go for broke and hope we came out on the other end. We started the match and went up 3-0 quickly. She did exactly what she needed to do. She was so strategic and smart that even in a moment where most would quit, she was hyper-focused.

“We looked at each other when we were up 5-2 like, ‘Okay, this is really happening? We are kicking their butts.’ Neither one of us said a word. We just finished the drill and won 8-2 against one of the top-ranked teams in the nation like it was no big deal. We did it all with me as a true freshman and Kimberly sicker than sick.

“That was Kimberly. She never quit. She never let anyone see if she was hurting when it mattered most or it was on the line. Definition of true leadership. Because she was this way, others followed.

“Looking back, it is so much clearer what her leadership would mean and meant at the time. Some people are born to lead. She was one of them. She brought out the best in everyone she encountered. Naturally. She led by example and was selfless in doing so.” - Clayton McGee ’01, Kimberly’s teammate and regional sales manager with Neos Therapeutics

BATTALION COMMANDER

“There was a certain look that she could give her peers — and even people over her — that basically said, ‘You guys are embarrassing me. Straighten this out.’ It was a look that told you that you weren’t measuring up to the standards she set for herself and everyone else. She didn’t have to say a word.

“Everything about her, from her uniform to her mannerisms, was always that of a seasoned officer. It was like dealing with a mid-career captain when she was just a cadet. Her instincts were just that good. She just knew what to say, what to do, and where to be. It seemed to just come naturally to her.” - Lt. Col. (Ret.) Larry Mulhall, Hampton’s professor of military science and current chief of police at PC

NATIONAL TREASURE

“None of her soldiers were hesitant about following her into combat. They were all confident in her leadership ability. She was a person who loved life, who loved doing her job, was very professional, and excited about being a scout pilot. She was the kind of person people gravitated to — a natural leader.” - Maj. Mark Teixeira. The squadron executive officer who worked with Kimberly for a year and a half at Fort Bragg and in Afghanistan

“After she graduated, Kimberly volunteered to be a class agent working with the Annual Fund. Many times we have to really ask people to do fundraising, but she volunteered. She did everything that we asked of her no matter where she was in the world. She even planned some of her trips home so she could attend alumni board meetings.

Every time she went to a new assignment, she would email me about how excited she was and how she loved what she was doing by flying helicopters for our country. She made sure that I was to let her know what she could do for PC no matter where she was. I always have referred to her as ‘the best of the best,’ and I feel more strongly about that now. I met and became friends with her parents, Dale and Ann Hampton. When you know them, you know why Kimberly was such a great person. In my mind, she is one of the Blue Hose greats.” - Randy Randall ’75, executive director of Alumni Relations when Kimberly graduated and current chairman, South Carolina Public Service Commission.