Monica Lin Brown is a United States Army Sergeant and Medic who became the first woman during the War in Afghanistan and only the second woman since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the U.S. military’s third-highest medal for valor in combat. Brown, also the 2008 USO Soldier of the Year, was still in her teens when she received the honor for heroic actions. Brown, then a Private, deployed to Afghanistan at the age of 18 with the 4th Squadron, 73d Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. When her convoy came under attack on April 25, 2007, she braved explosions and enemy fire to treat the wounded. One vehicle hit an IED and exploded. Brown moved through small arms fire to the vehicle and began moving the injured away from the wreckage. She treated them only 49 feet from the burning vehicle and used her body to shield them. Her Sergeant, who was providing covering fire, said he saw enemy bullets literally miss Brown by inches. For her courage, and for protecting the wounded amidst the most dangerous conditions, Brown was awarded the Silver Star in March of 2008.
