Silver Star for Female Warrior

I know I am a little late on this one, but I saw it and had to give some praise. This soldier and all her teammates put on a rock-solid showing against a larger hostile force.

Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester became the first woman since World War II to win the Silver Star medal for valor in combat. According to the WaPo (June 17, 2005 Pg. 21) article "Soldier Earns Silver Star For Her Role In Defeating Ambush" by Ann Scott Tyson:

The 23-year-old retail store manager from Bowling Green, Ky., won the award for skillfully leading her team of military police soldiers in a counterattack after about 50 insurgents ambushed a supply convoy they were guarding near Salman Pak on March 20.

The medal, rare for any soldier, underscores the growing role in combat of U.S. female troops in Iraq's guerrilla war, where tens of thousands of American women have served, 36 have been killed and 285 wounded, according to Pentagon figures.

After insurgents hit the convoy with a barrage of fire from machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, Hester "maneuvered her team through the kill zone into a flanking position where she assaulted a trench line with grenades and M203 rounds," according to the Army citation accompanying the Silver Star.

"She then cleared two trenches with her squad leader where she engaged and eliminated three AIF [anti-Iraqi forces] with her M4 rifle. Her actions saved the lives of numerous convoy members," the citation stated.

Congratulation Sergeant Hester - you deserve it!