A 19-year-old medic from Texas stationed in Afghanistan is poised to become the second woman since World War II to receive a
Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor.
Army
Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a
roadside bomb ripped through a group of Humvees in the eastern Paktia
province in April 2007, the military said. Five soldiers laid wounded and under gunfire. To get them aid, Brown ran through gunfire and with her body, shielded the soldiers from mortar shrapnel.
"I
did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a
safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of
there," Brown told The Associated Press on Saturday at a U.S. base in
the eastern province of Khost.
"I
assessed the patients to see how bad they were. We tried to move them
to a safer location because we were still receiving incoming fire,"
Brown said.
Brown is scheduled to receive the Silver Star later this month. Read more