Then-Commandant Col. Sue Ann Sandusky salutes during the Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 2008.
The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center honored the memory and legacy of Col. Sue Ann Sandusky, a former commandant, during a special memorial ceremony held at the Weckerling Center June 17, 2025.
The event not only paid tribute to Sandusky, who passed away in 2024, but also formally dedicated a room in her name: Colonel Sandusky Bay View.
“We dedicate the space…a lasting tribute to the military officer whose impact on the Institute and on the broader defense and diplomatic communities, is both profound and enduring,” Lt. Col. Teramuura Shamel, director of the Foreign Area Officer program at DLIFLC, told the audience. “May it serve as a space of inspiration and a reflection, the place where future generations of foreign area officers… along with language professionals can reflect on her example and strive to carry forward her legacy of excellence, courage and service.”
Guest speaker, retired Col. Dino Pick, described Sandusky as “a leader, a scholar, a mentor, a friend whose presence graced our lives with wisdom and dedication.” Pick, like Sandusky, was a former commandant of DLIFLC.
“She saw potential in every challenge, whether serving as a defense attaché in Africa, where she fostered international relations and security, or as the commandant of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, where she championed the importance of language and culture of understanding,” Pick said. “To Col. Sandusky, service was not just a duty, it was her passion, her mission, her legacy to us all.”
Guests wandered around the newly minted Colonel Sandusky Bay View room in the Weckerling Center during a memorial ceremony
Sandusky was a trailblazer whose distinguished military career spanned decades. For the later half of her career, she was a Foreign Area Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa and served as defense attaché in Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ivory Coast, and Nigeria. Her relations with the people of Liberia were so good that she was sent back intermittently and has been credited with helping achieve peace for the country through skillful negotiation.
She was particularly beloved within the FAO community, especially among the tight-knit African FAO cohort, where her guidance and mentorship left a lasting impact. The dedication of the Colonel Sandusky Bay View room is made even more meaningful by the generous contributions from the FAO Association, reflecting the deep respect and affection she earned throughout her career.
After decades of service, in 2007, Sandusky was appointed to lead DLIFLC as its Commandant, serving from 2007-2010. For her, it was a dream come true to return to DLIFLC as commandant.
In an interview in 2016, Sandusky recounted the moment she received the e-mail offer: “I didn’t open it for a minute, and thought maybe it was Africa Command, which was just standing up about that time. When I finally opened the email it said, ‘We are considering you to be the commandant of DLI,’ I about had a heart attack. I was just flabbergasted and so excited I could hardly contain myself.”
The donated portrait of former DLIFLC Commandant Col. Sue Ann Sandusky is unveiled during her memorialization
Her background, including four higher education degrees and extensive FAO experience, made her uniquely qualified for the role. As a former French student at DLIFLC in 1992, she cherished her experience.
“I loved my faculty…I had never experienced language learning like we did it at DLI, immersion in the classroom, all activities in French, the target language, and I just loved it. I knew it wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t had these very skilled teachers.”
As Commandant, Sandusky addressed challenges with the Defense Language Proficiency Test 5 for Modern Standard Arabic, leading a review that resulted in adjustments and a call for higher proficiency from linguists and instructors. She also advanced the Proficiency Enhancement Program and implemented initiatives to support faculty, including designating 2009 as the “Year of the Faculty,” advocating for salary adjustments, funding higher education degrees, and improving internal communication through town halls. Externally, she promoted DLIFLC’s role in supporting deploying forces through Language Training Detachments and oversaw the development of programs like the Afghanistan/Pakistan Hands.
People sign the guest book during the memorialization for former DLIFLC Commandant retired Col. Sue Ann Sandusky
During the ceremony, Pick finished his remarks with the reminder that Sandusky’s story would continue. “From this moment forward, her name, will be present in a space where ideas are shared, decisions are made, and the future of this Institute is shaped….Her presence will be felt, inspiring us to lead with integrity, to teach with dedication, to always keep our mission in the hearts of what we do.”
Once the short ceremony concluded, DLIFLC Commandant Col. Christy Whitfield and Sandusky’s brother, Timothy Sandusky, cut the ribbon at the entrance to the newly renovated and renamed Colonel Sandusky Bay View. DLIFLC historian Cameron Binkley gave the attendees background information on each photo and item donated as he led them on a tour around the room. The tour concluded just outside its entrance where a donated portrait of Sandusky was unveiled.
After the formal dedication, the Weckerling Center opened its doors for staff and faculty to view the space and sign the guest book honoring Sandusky.
