Woman Receives Military Honors for Tour in Afghanistan

Army Specialist Monica Lin Brown earned the prestigious Silver Star for saving the lives of her fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. Brown is a 19-year-old medic from Texas who used her body to shield wounded soldiers from mortars as she administered aid to them, according to the Associated Press.

She is the second woman to earn the Silver Star since World War II. Seven nurses in World Wars I and II received the award, the third highest in the military for bravery. In 2005, Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester was also awarded the Silver Star for her bravery in Iraq.

Brown told the Associated Press, "I was in kind of a robot-mode, did not think about much but getting the guys taken care of." She knew all five of the wounded soldiers.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Brown joined the army in 2006 with her brother to get a college education.

Women play an increasing role in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to National Public Radio (NPR). Pentagon policy restricts women's participation on the front lines, but there are no real front lines in the current wars, giving women a bigger role in combat than ever before.

Media Resources: Associate Press 3/9/08; Houston Chronicle 03/09/08; NPR 10/03/07

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