Medic

By lex, on May 1st, 2008

“Laws control the lesser man,” wrote Mark Twain, who concluded by saying, “right conduct controls the greater one.”

Vice President Cheney pinned (PFC Monica) Brown, of Lake Jackson, Tex., with a Silver Star in March for repeatedly risking her life on April 25, 2007, to shield and treat her wounded comrades, displaying bravery and grit. She is the second woman since World War II to receive the nation’s third-highest combat medal.

Within a few days of her heroic acts, however, the Army pulled Brown out of the remote camp in Paktika province where she was serving with a cavalry unit — because, her platoon commander said, Army restrictions on women in combat barred her from such missions.

Follow the link to find how the medic earned her Silver Star, and how the decision was made to return her to the relative safety of a sprawling base in Khost. Where, no doubt, her skills as a combat medic and her proven courage under fire were successfully re-purposed.

We also have a saying in the Navy: “A ship is port is safe, but that’s not what ships are for.”

Back To The Index