She shielded the wounded, to get them to help, with her body as mortars exploded around her. Five of the soldiers in her unit were wounded by an IED. And in the midst of battle, she found courage. As insurgent gunfire popped with a murderous vengeance around her and her 
friends, she found valor.
Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown (19) is only the second female soldier since WWII to receive the Silver Star in the Afgan War. As she saw the a convoy attacked in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007 in Afganistan. The Humvee holding soldiers was under fire, she said she grabbed her medical bag and went to help. She helped the men, trying to get out of the Humvee to safety citing she went into “robot-mode.” She said her greatest fear was not of the attack, but getting the wounded to a safe location.
Women are prohibited to serve on the front lines of combat. The problem in Afghanistan and Irag is there are no clearly defined front lines in these wars. The other woman to receive this honor is Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester who received the honor two years ago after her convoy endured an insurgent attack.
Brown will receive the Silver Star in Texas later this month.
The military, in giving this honor to Brown, cited “bravery, unselfish actions and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat”
