BMEWS
 
Sarah Palin knows how old the Chinese gymnasts are.

calendar   Thursday - March 01, 2007

Womens History Month

March is National Women’s History Month, celebrating the role of females in the history of our country. You will hear a lot about Clara Barton, Susan Anthony, Helen Keller, Coretta Scott King, Sandra Day O’Conner and hundreds of other famous women. I’m sure they’ll even slip a tribute to Hillary Clinton in there somewhere.

One lady you will probably never hear about is Leigh Ann Hester, so I’m going to tell you about her now. It all began in March, 2005 in Iraq and ended with a Silver Star and a recent dedication at the US Army Women’s Museum. I covered this story here nearly two years ago. You can find the original post by searching the blog archives or you can get all the details below. Pay particular attention to the last paragraph. That’s an order ...

Army Women’s Museum Honors Guard Squad’s Valor
FORT LEE, Va. (NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU) - February 5, 2007

imageimageA new chapter has been added to the story of women serving in the Army.  The U.S. Army Women’s Museum on Saturday, Feb. 3, opened its Global War on Terrorism exhibit which showcases the contributions women have made during the war. Its centerpiece a life-size diorama of the actions of Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester and the other members of that squad during a March 20, 2005, ambush by insurgents near Baghdad.

Hester, who was assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard’s 617th Military Police Company at the time, was awarded the Silver Star Medal, becoming the first woman to receive the award since World War II and the first woman to ever receive it for direct actions against an enemy force.

Others in the unit received the Silver Star including Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein, the squad leader, whose award has recently been upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award for valor.

The Women’s History Museum originally opened as the Women’s Army Corps Museum at Fort McClellan, Ala., in 1955, and was relocated to Fort Lee near Petersburg, Va., in 2000.

Hester and most of the other members of the Kentucky squad were present for the opening of the GWOT exhibit on Feb. 3. It was the first time they had all been together in more than a year, Hester said.

While the exhibit, which opened three weeks prior to March 1, the start off Women’s History Month, focuses on the actions of Hester and Nein, both Soldiers emphasized that the entire squad worked together to achieve success in the mission.

“It wasn’t one person’s actions that day,” Hester said. “It was us as a team. You know, I wouldn’t be standing here today without these guys having had my back that day.”

The squad, call sign Raven 42, was escorting a convoy near the town of Salman Pak south of Baghdad when the convoy came under heavy fire. Acting without hesitation, the Guard Soldiers drove their vehicles between the insurgents and the convoy.  Hester and Nein dismounted from their armored Humvees and led the counterattack against the ambush. Twenty-seven insurgents were killed and seven were captured.

Two Soldiers in the squad were wounded during the engagement, which lasted roughly 30 minutes. But it could have been far worse because the insurgents had getaway vehicles pre-positioned with open doors and trunks as well as handcuffs which, some say, indicates they intended to take prisoners.

While Hester was quick to downplay her role during the counterattack, others feel she did much more than simply her job.

“It’s amazing,” said Pat Sigle, director of the Army Women’s Foundation, which oversaw the funding for the exhibit. “To her it was her job. That’s all it was, that’s her job. I hope she understands, and I think in time she will, just how amazing that team was, how they all came out alive, how they pulled together and did what they were supposed to do.”

The fact that Hester is a woman who has served in a combat zone, and in direct combat action, has been highlighted by many people. But it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to her. It was just another aspect of the squad.

“I believe everybody in my squad changed a lot of minds,” she said. “Not just me. We’re a blend of several different cultures, and being a woman, to me, is just one of those cultures. It makes no difference. If you can do the job, you can do the job. Some people can and some people can’t.”

Others in the squad agreed.

“A hundred years ago I guarantee our forefathers would never have thought a squad that was as successful as we were that day could come from so many different backgrounds and look so different physically,” said Sgt. Jason L. Mike, an African-American medic assigned to the unit who was also awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day. 

While many in attendance expressed awe at the actions of Hester, Nein, Mike and the others in Raven 42, the squad members stood in awe of the exhibit that depicts their actions.

“They did an outstanding job,” said Hester. “It’s amazing what they did. I believe it captures the actions of March 20, 2005, very well.”

But, for Hester, it still comes down to just doing their jobs that day.

“There’s a lot of Soldiers that are doing this job right now,” she said. “Right this minute, right now they’re doing now what we were doing then, and they’re not getting the credit they deserve. Look at the big picture. We did great one day, but there are people doing that everyday. Don’t lose sight of that.”


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 03/01/2007 at 03:52 PM   
Filed Under: • Military •  
Comments (8) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  
Page 1 of 1 pages

Five Most Recent Trackbacks:

Once Again, The One And Only Post
(4 total trackbacks)
Tracked at iHaan.org
The advantage to having a guide with you is thɑt an expert will haѵe very first hand experience dealing and navigating the river with гegional wildlife. Tһomas, there are great…
On: 07/28/23 10:37

The Brownshirts: Partie Deux; These aare the Muscle We've Been Waiting For
(3 total trackbacks)
Tracked at head to the Momarms site
The Brownshirts: Partie Deux; These aare the Muscle We’ve Been Waiting For
On: 03/14/23 11:20

Vietnam Homecoming
(1 total trackbacks)
Tracked at 广告专题配音 专业从事中文配音跟外文配音制造,北京名传天下配音公司
  专业从事中文配音和外文配音制作,北京名传天下配音公司   北京名传天下专业配音公司成破于2006年12月,是专业从事中 中文配音 文配音跟外文配音的音频制造公司,幻想飞腾配音网领 配音制作 有海内外优良专业配音职员已达500多位,可供给一流的外语配音,长年服务于国内中心级各大媒体、各省市电台电视台,能满意不同客户的各种需要。电话:010-83265555   北京名传天下专业配音公司…
On: 03/20/21 07:00

meaningless marching orders for a thousand travellers ... strife ahead ..
(1 total trackbacks)
Tracked at Casual Blog
[...] RTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPL [...]
On: 07/17/17 04:28

a small explanation
(1 total trackbacks)
Tracked at yerba mate gourd
Find here top quality how to prepare yerba mate without a gourd that's available in addition at the best price. Get it now!
On: 07/09/17 03:07



DISCLAIMER
Allanspacer

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:
  1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
  2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
  3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
  4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere
It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.


Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner



GNU Terry Pratchett


Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
free counters