Monica Lin Brown

Career In April 2007, after a roadside bomb detonated near a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia Province of Afghanistan, Private First Class Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers by running through insurgent gunfire to reach the wounded and then using her body to shield them while mortar rounds fell nearby. Because women were not formally allowed to participate directly in combat at the time, Brown was pulled back to the base at Khost shortly after the incident.

Brown, who joined the Army at age 17, was presented with the Silver Star by Vice President Dick Cheney in a ceremony on 21 March 2008.

In 2014, the U.S. Army Women's Foundation inducted SGT Monica L. Brown into the Hall of Fame.

Military awards Brown's military decorations and awards include: Silver Star Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal Presidential Unit Citation Meritorious Unit Commendation with bronze oak leaf cluster Army Superior Unit Award National Defense Service Medal Afghanistan Campaign Medal with service star Global War on Terrorism Service Medal NCO Professional Development Ribbon Army Service Ribbon Army Overseas Service Medal NATO Medal (with ISAF clasp) Combat Medical Badge Basic Parachutist Badge German Parachutist Badge in bronze

Silver Star

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