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#1 ·
Female medic earns Silver Star in Afghan war
19-year-old only second woman to receive valor award since WWII


updated 12:41 p.m. ET, Sun., March. 9, 2008
CAMP SALERNO, Afghanistan - A 19-year-old medic from Texas will become the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second woman since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor.

Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007, the military said.

After the explosion, which wounded five soldiers in her unit, Brown ran through insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 yards away, the military said.

"I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there," Brown said Saturday at a U.S. base in the eastern province of Khost.

Brown, of Lake Jackson, Texas, is scheduled to receive the Silver Star later this month. She was part of a four-vehicle convoy patrolling near Jani Kheil in the eastern province of Paktia on April 25, 2007, when a bomb struck one of the Humvees.

Treating 'patients' under fire
"We stopped the convoy. I opened up my door and grabbed my aid bag," Brown said.

She started running toward the burning vehicle as insurgents opened fire. All five wounded soldiers had scrambled out.

"I assessed the patients to see how bad they were. We tried to move them to a safer location because we were still receiving incoming fire," Brown said.

Pentagon policy prohibits women from serving in frontline combat roles — in the infantry, armor or artillery, for example. But the nature of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with no real front lines, has seen women soldiers take part in close-quarters combat more than previous conflicts.

Four Army nurses in World War II were the first women to receive the Silver Star, though three nurses serving in World War I were awarded the medal posthumously last year, according to the Army's Web site.

Brown, of the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, said ammunition going off inside the burning Humvee was sending shrapnel in all directions. She said they were sitting in a dangerous spot.

"So we dragged them for 100 or 200 meters, got them away from the Humvee a little bit," she said. "I was in a kind of a robot-mode, did not think about much but getting the guys taken care of."

No time to be scared
For Brown, who knew all five wounded soldiers, it became a race to get them all to a safer location. Eventually, they moved the wounded some 500 yards away, treated them on site before putting them on a helicopter for evacuation.

"I did not really have time to be scared," Brown said. "Running back to the vehicle, I was nervous (since) I did not know how badly the guys were injured. That was scary."

The military said Brown's "bravery, unselfish actions and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat."

Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, of Nashville, Tenn., received the Silver Star in 2005 for gallantry during an insurgent ambush on a convoy in Iraq. Two men from her unit, the 617th Military Police Company of Richmond, Ky., also received the Silver Star for their roles in the same action.

Can you say " Grace under Fire" ? :congrats::congrats:

Thank You to Ms Brown and all of our military for your service.:congrats::congrats:
 
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#2 ·
thats a good medic right there obviously well trained.
 
#9 ·
Female Medic In Afghanistan Awarded Silver Star

:congrats::congrats::congrats::congrats:
Stories like this remind me why I love this great country.

[sarcasm]I find it amazing that stories like these aren't leading on the national news.[/sarcasm] :mad:

All we hear about typically is how many soldiers were killed or wounded, nothing about the bravery under fire demonstrated by this fine young soldier and her fellow soldiers.

Anyhow, my heartfelt congratulations go out to Spc. Brown and her squad mates for their heroism under fire, saving the lives of 5 of America's finest. :congrats::congrats:
 
#11 ·
God bless all medics/corpsmen (and women!). It's been my experience that these are some of the most dedicated, knowledgable, courageous, and professional warriors out there...

That being said - GET OFF THE X!!! Why are they stopping and fighting in place? You're in the kill zone - get out of it! Get the wounded in another vehicle and di-di mau, with a quickness...treat them when there are not rounds cooking off next to your head...

Of course I realize that this isn't always possible, but I have seen too many military convoys STOP dead right in the kill zone when one vehicle becomes destroyed/disabled. They (we) need to spend a lot more time training on casualty cross-loading and getting the heck out of Dodge - you can always come back for a hulk vehicle once you've destroyed the enemy...

OK, sorry, rant off, and a big giant Hooah to SPC Brown. I'd buy her a beer, if she weren't two years too young! (And how do we justify that, exactly? You're responsible enough to save lives under fire, but not enough to have a glass of wine?)
 
#12 ·
OK, sorry, rant off, and a big giant Hooah to SPC Brown. I'd buy her a beer, if she weren't two years too young! (And how do we justify that, exactly? You're responsible enough to save lives under fire, but not enough to have a glass of wine?)
I agree with you about the 21 year old requirement to legally drink in the U.S.At 18, you can fight and die for the country, you can vote, why shouldn't you be allowed to drink? Is there really much of a maturity difference between the average 18 y.o and 21 y.o? OMO
 
#14 ·
She done good. Being a medic is a tough thankless job. Medics very rarely get the recognition they deserve. My wife is an active duty, female, army medic as well. I am d*mn proud of her and those like her and the job they do.
 
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