In 1985 Major Sandlin graduated from Mary Carroll High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. After a few tough years in college, Major Sandlin enlisted in the United States Air Force in September 1987 as an Airman Basic and after completing Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas in February 1988, was promoted to the grade of Airman and sent to Technical Training at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi. Upon completion of Communications-Computer Systems training at Keesler Air Force Base in June 1988, he was assigned to the 1^st Combat Communications Group, Lindsay Air Station, Wiesbaden, Germany. During his tour of duty, he served as a Tactical Operations Facility Chief on Satellite Communications, Tactical Switch and Teletype equipment as well as Aggressor Instructor for Mobility/Survival School and also worked for the Defense Attaché Office at the US Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus supporting the Beirut Air Bridge mission in Lebanon and deployed in support of initial phases of Operation Desert Storm. Major Sandlin was promoted to Airman 1^st Class in December 1988 and was also competitively selected and promoted to Senior Airman “Below-the-Zone” in August 1990. Major Sandlin was awarded the John Levitow Leadership Award from Professional Military Education, awarded the Wiesbaden Military Community Volunteer of the Year Award, and the European Communications Division and Air Force Communications Command Operator of the Year and 1^st Combat Communications Group Airman of the year awards.

In November 1990, Major Sandlin was reassigned to the 1002^nd Space Systems Squadron at Schreiver Air Force Base, Falcon, Colorado, where he served as a Crew Chief for the Operational Software Maintenance Complex during the early stages of the Military Satellite and Reconnaissance and other Joint space-based satellite/communications programs. During this tour, Major Sandlin graduated from Colorado Christian University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources Management/Computer Science and in October 1994, was competitively selected for Officer’s Training School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama where he was commissioned as Second Lieutenant, 23 June 1995. Major Sandlin attended the Communications-Computer Officer Course at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi and upon completion in September 1995, was assigned to the 311^th Communications Squadron, Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, where he performed duties as Officer-In-Charge, Base Network Control Center and Commander, Information Systems Flight and in June 1997, was promoted to First Lieutenant. Major Sandlin was again competitively selected to serve as Executive Officer to the Base Commander, 311^th Air Base Group and was promoted to the grade of Captain in June 1999.

While at Brooks Air Force Base, Major Sandlin served as the President and Vice President of the Company Grade Officer’s Council, was awarded numerous Company Grade Officer of the Quarter Awards, the 311^th Air Base Group Company Grade Officer of the Year Award, the Air Force Materiel Command Communications-Information Professional of the Year Award, three consecutive Brooks Air Force Base Communications-Information Professional of the Year awards, and helped develop the base’s Lieutenants Professional Development Program. In October 1999, Major Sandlin was reassigned to Headquarters Eighth Air Force, Barksdale Air Force Base, Bossier City, Louisiana. During this tour, he performed duties as the 8^th Air Force Lead Communications Planner, Deputy Commander; Plans/Engineering Flight and Commander; Air Operations Center Systems Flight within the 608^th Air Communications Squadron. Again, Major Sandlin was competitively selected as Executive Officer to the Commander, 608^th Air Operations Group and 8^th Air Force Director of Operations with additional duties supporting the Headquarters 8^th Air Force Commander. Major Sandlin attended Squadron Officer School June 2000 at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. Also during this tour, Major Sandlin deployed as the Headquarters, 16^th Air Expeditionary Wing Director of Communications-Information Systems supporting North Atlantic Treaty Organizations/United States operations in the Bosnia/Kosovo/Macedonia region; was again competitively selected twice to receive the Headquarters 8^th Air Force Communications-Information Professional of the Year Award, and was selected to perform as Deputy Chief, Program Management Office out of Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, South Carolina, for the development of the Air Operations Center at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Major Sandlin applied for and was competitively selected to fill his next assignment as Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Command, Detachment 425 at Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi in October 2002. Major Sandlin attended Academic Instructor School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama in May 2003 and assumed his duties as Assistant Professor, Commandant of Cadets and Advanced Military Physical Fitness Instructor, 15 July 2003. In January 2005, Major Sandlin attended the Advanced Communications-Computer Officer Course at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Mississippi and in December 2005, was promoted to the grade of Major. In July 2006, Major Sandlin was reassigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington DC. While there, he performed duties as Chief Information Officer-Special Actions Officer; Chief, Enterprise Architecture Support to Intelligence Planning; Chief, Strategy and Architecture Division and Chief, Enterprise Architecture. Major Sandlin worked many programs with the Pentagon Joint Staff offices and was instrumental in standing up the Joint Intelligence Operations Centers throughout the Combatant Commands. Major Sandlin graduated from Air University’s Joint Professional Military Education, Phase-I, Air Command and Staff College in September 2006 and in 2007, graduated from Joint Professional Military Education, Phase-II through the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia. Major Sandlin retired from the Air Force on April 1^st, 2009 to work special programs as a contractor for the Department of Defense in the Washington DC area.

Major Sandlin has been awarded the Space Operations Badge, the Master Communications-Information Systems Operator Badge and the Air Education and Training Command Instructor Badge. His decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Good Conduct Medal with one oak leaf cluster, National Defense Service Medal with star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal with star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Services Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Air and Space Campaign Medal, Air Force Overseas Long-Tour Ribbon, Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon, Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon with one oak leaf cluster, Expert Marksmanship Ribbon with star, Air Force Training Ribbon with one oak leaf cluster, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Yugoslavia Service Medal.