Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown is a 19 year old medic from Lake Jackson, Texas. She will become the first woman in Afghanistan and the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star. The Silver Star is the third highest medal for valor.
H/T Blackfive.
The policy of the Pentagon that prohibits women from serving in front line combat gets blurred in Afghanistan and Iraq. As has been said many, many times by our military leaders and the Bush administration, these are not 'traditional' wars and have to be fought with evolving specifics. There is no set 'frontline'. This needs to be said over and over until more of the American people fully understand. Just as the far left bemoans the alleged diminishing civil rights here at home, completely proven false time and time again, attitudes like the deliberate lack of cooperation of the leadership in Congress, the Democrats, in areas of terrorist surveillance for the sole reason of protecting trial lawyers over the military and the intelligence agencies is just one reason why their poll ratings are half of what the President's are. The American people are not nearly as asleep as the gangs of Pelosi and Reid would believe.
Army Spc. Brown saved the lives of five wounded soldiers after an explosion of a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in April 2007. She ran through the insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 yard away, according to the AP write up by Fisnik Abrashi. "We stopped the convoy. I opened up my door and grabbed my aid bag," Brown said. As they were assessed to be in a dangerous spot, the wounded, who had all evacuated the Humvee in the four vehicle convoy, "So we dragged them 100 or 200 meters, got them away from the Humvee a little bit, she said. I was in kind of a robot-mode, did not think about much but getting the guys taken care of."
The five wounded soldiers were moved some 500 yards away in the end and treated on site before they were evacuated by helicopter.
"I didn't have time to be scared," Brown said.
Quite a soldier, that young woman. The defeatists in Congress are not worthy of being in the same room as her.
The first woman to receive the Silver Star since World War II was Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, of Nashville, TN. She recieved it in 2005 for "gallantry during an insurgent ambush on a convoy in Iraq." That from the same AP article.
I have often thought it a shame that we, as Americans, are not called upon by our political leadership, beginning with the president, to make sacrifices for our war efforts. Every able American should be doing something, however small an act it may be, to make the sacrifices of the military and their families a little easier. I've done some efforts to make the tours of duty of soldiers we have 'adopted' through organizations a bit more comforting but it never feels enough.
The very least we can do is share their stories.
4 comments:
What a great woman and soldier. Thanks for sharing this. We need to celebrate our heros, there are so many of them. The women may not be officially serving/fighting on the front lines, but they ARE there and they ARE doing heroic things.
Pelosi isn't fit to wipe this woman's boots.
Debbie Hamilton
Right Truth
what an incredible woman. i'm proud to have her as a soldier in the gwot.
btw, our civil liberties ARE eroding - at the hands of the liberals.
everytime another pc "rule" is implemented and upheld, our right to free speech is infringed upon. everytime someone gets in trouble for a "hate" crime, the equal protection law goes out the window. as the libs grow the government, examples and other liberties infringed upon will increase.
be well, and thanks for sharing this story. it truly is our honor to be able live in the same world as these heroes - male or female. and debbie's right - pelosi isn't fit to wipe this woman's boots.
Heidi Jackson
http:/biggirlpants.typepad.com
A daughter of the Great Satan - volunteering to shed the light in harms way in dark and scary places on the earth.
Her story is awesome - she is awesome and she is Legion - for there are thousands like her. They put their lives on hold, deploy overseas and are the ultimate tribute to service to ideals larger than self.
The amazing thing about Monica is the 100 to 200 meters. Know how far that is? With people shooting at you the whole way? That is anywhere from a football field and an endzone in length (about a 100 meters to twice that length). That is amazing. Indeed worthy of the Silver Star.
Monica Brown, you are one of America's Treasures - we love you like America herself.
The press should really do more to get these stories out on the front page. If they can run 30+ consecutive frontpage stories on abu Ghraib in the NYTimes, surely they can say over and over again, who our military heroes are in the current War.
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