View Full Version : First Women To Earn The Silver Star for courage in combat.
More people know what shoes some worthless pop singer is recommending than this woman's achievements. She was just awarded The Silver Star:
"...Hester traversed two additional trenches on foot, killing three enemy soldiers with her M4 carbine before a ceasefire was called. The troops identified 27 deceased enemy soldiers, six injured, and one taken prisoner.
Three members of Hester’s unit had been injured in the gunfire, but all had survived.
Hester was awarded the coveted Silver Star, the third-highest decoration in the U.S. military for valor. The young sergeant was the first female in the U.S. Army to receive the award since World War II and the first female ever to receive the Silver Star for courage in combat."
https://www.theepochtimes.com/female-army-sergeant-repels-ambush-kills-3-becomes-first-woman-to-earn-silver-star-since-wwii_3164385.html?fbclid=IwAR0rTr4xB06571zUZBdnp_ma2ltZp36jWZdpv6xUWOQoq6Zl5Pqi3C-6O-M
#CombatVets #SilverStarWinner
Not to be pedantic, but no one "wins" the Silver Star or any other medal awarded for valor. Combat is not a game show.
Not to be pedantic, but no one "wins" the Silver Star or any other medal awarded for valor. Combat is not a game show.
Noted, title wording edited.
CESwartz07
01-13-20, 08:49
This happened in 2005, but the article is from last month. Did she get awarded the metal just recently or did she get it back then? Just curious
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The article in the link provided was dated Dec. 9, 2019, did not mention when the Silver Star was awarded.
Medal awarded June 16, 2005.
https://www.defense.gov/observe/photo-gallery/igphoto/2002022517/
Actual citation:
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/3885
More people know what shoes some worthless pop singer is recommending than this woman's achievements. She was just awarded The Silver Star:
Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.
To me the fact that few people recognize names like Jack Lucas, Manuel Mendoza, Roy Benavidez, Richard Meadows and the rest somehow makes them more important. If everybody talked about Shugart and Gordon the same way they discussed the Kardashians, complete with fundamental misunderstandings and deliberate misrepresentations, it would sully their names. One only has to recall the giant George Washington banners at the Madison Square Gardens German / American Bund rally to see how any image or heroic tale can be twisted or distorted to serve almost any ideology.
Some of them have their tales told, some of them have never really been told. Even in this example I have to wonder if the individual had been a male, would anyone have taken the time to even notice. And finally we should keep in mind that those who are awarded these honors, often simply are the remaining living representatives of a larger group who lost their lives in the effort to save others.
Even in this example I have to wonder if the individual had been a male, would anyone have taken the time to even notice.
Apparently someone noticed the guy who was with her, he also got a Silver Star, it was later upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross, second highest award for valor:
Kentucky Guard Soldier Receives Distinguished Service Cross
By Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy - February 22, 2007
LEXINGTON, Ky. (American Forces Press Service, Feb. 21, 2007) - A Kentucky National Guard Soldier has become the first Guard Soldier -- and only the fifth servicemember overall -- to receive the Distinguished Service Cross.
The Distinguished Service Cross is second only to the Medal of Honor among awards for valor in battle. Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein received the medal from Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, at the National Guard Association of Kentucky's annual conference here Feb. 17.
Nein originally received the Silver Star Medal for his actions as a squad leader with the 617th Military Police Company during an ambush in Iraq on March 20, 2005, but the award was upgraded, a process culminating with the presentation.
Nein's squad was escorting a convoy of supply trucks near the town of Salman Pak, south of Baghdad, when the convoy came under heavy fire. Without hesitation, Nein and his squad put themselves and their vehicles between the insurgents and the convoy. Nein and Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, the first woman awarded the Silver Star for direct combat action against an enemy, dismounted from their armored Humvees and led the counterattack against the ambush, killing 27 insurgents and capturing seven more. Two Soldiers in the squad were wounded during the engagement, which lasted roughly 30 minutes.
Nein was humble about receiving the award.
"I've read the stories of so many other (recipients of the medal) during my life, from World War II and Vietnam and of all the things they've done. To be put in the same light as them is quite an honor. It's actually pretty humbling to know that people feel the way they do about me for doing things that I feel were just part of our job," Nein said after the ceremony.
Nein said that day in Iraq was all about doing his job.
"Once we had gotten into the position to assault the fighting positions of the bad guys, it never occurred to me we were doing anything other than our jobs," said Nein. "We had taken a couple of wounded, and at that point I knew we needed to start going into the trenches and canal systems to try and eliminate some of those guys."
Nein and his 10-member squad had no idea of the numbers they were facing during the assault.
"I never knew there were about 50," said Nein. "Initially, when we made the turn to flank the anti-Iraqi forces, I counted seven cars, all with four doors open, and I did the math real quick in my head, and I was like, 'That's 28 against 10.' That's 2.8 to 1 odds. That's not very good. Little did I know it was 5 to 1 odds, which is even worse."
Those odds worked against Nein and his Soldiers for a brief period of time.
"One time after assaulting one position, a guy was shooting down from a berm that was about 10 feet above us," Nein said, noting that he was concerned his squad would be overrun. He said he thought about destroying the squad's equipment to prevent it from falling into enemy hands, but that he instead decided the best course was to take the fight to the enemy.
In the end, the squad eliminated more than half of the force it faced and captured seven attackers. Even though nearly two years has passed since that battle, Nein said he still thinks about that day and what happened.
"Even the guys from my squad will tell you, there is not a day that goes by that it doesn't affect us in one way or another, good or bad," said Nein. "I've probably run a hundred different scenarios in my head of how we could have run it better, but I never can come up with anything."
That is to be expected, he said.
"With the right equipment, the right training and the right leadership, there's nothing we can't get done," Nein said.
https://www.army.mil/article/1924/kentucky_guard_soldier_receives_distinguished_service_cross
During his November 2004 to November 2005 deployment to Iraq, Staff Sergeant Timothy F. Nein served as the leader of 2nd Squad, 4th Platoon, 617th Military Police Company - a Kentucky National Guard unit - and, in this interview, gives a complete (often harrowing) account of a complex 20 March 2005 enemy ambush southeast of Baghdad that resulted in his squad killing or capturing 34 insurgents and losing not a single US soldier.
Describing his MPs as basically "infantry on wheels," Nein - the recipient of a Silver Star Medal for his actions that day - describes in great detail why it was "one of the best overall pictures of when everything goes right." Tasked with shadowing a convoy of transportation vehicles when they came under attack by insurgents heavily armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, Nein said that "every plan we put into place and everything we practiced went exactly the way it's supposed to; and it wasn't because we were a bunch of superheroes or people who had been doing this for years.
Four months earlier," he explained, "the whole squad had never worked together; but every day we worked to figure out how we could have better load plans in our vehicles, how we could set up our actions on contact, who was going to do evasive fires if one thing happened, who was going to maneuver towards the enemy element if it went this way or that way. We constantly tried to learn from every experience we had."
Nein also recounts the heroics of Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester, the first female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, and tells of an especially grim moment when he actually contemplated destroying his vehicle's Blue Force Tracker because he thought "we were all going to die.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Interview_with_SSG_Timothy_F_Nein.html?id=-nmpYgEACAAJ
Kentucky Guardsmen set to Deploy
By stacyfloden – January 9, 2020
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky National Guard leadership joined friends and family to say farewell to the 617th Military Police Company during a departure ceremony, at the Lexington Convention Center on Jan. 7.
More than 160 Soldiers will be deploying in support of Operation Spartan Shield supporting the Department of Defense’s operations in the Middle East.
The Richmond-based unit has been deployed twice previously since 2001.
“This is the 3rd time since 9/11 that the 617th have deployed, this is not new for you,” said Col. Joe Gardner, the149th Brigade Commander during the departure ceremony.
The last deployment was in 2011 to Iraq as part of Operation New Dawn. Prior to that, the unit deployed in 2004-2005 to Kuwait & Iraq, where they participated in the historic battle known as ‘Raven 42’.
“This deployment brings some unknowns,” said Capt. Derek Fosson, company commander of the 617th. “I remain confident in the Soldiers and their ability to accomplish the mission; Each Soldier brings a skill set other than military police to the table. We’ll use these skills to our advantage and that’s one of the reasons we’ll be exceptional.”
The unit has had a few notable Soldiers who have received the military’s highest honors.
One Distinguished Service Cross (the U.S. Army’s second highest honor) and 2 Silver Stars were awarded due to actions taken during this conflict. 1st Sgt. Timothy Nein was the first Guardsman in the nation to ever receive the DSC. Nein will deploy as the senior enlisted leader for the unit.
Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, who is no longer with the unit and will not be deploying, was the first female U.S. Army Soldier to receive the Silver Star since World War II and the first ever to be cited for valor in close quarters combat.
Confidence was high with the Soldiers and their leaders knowing they were ready and willing to do their part in the defense of the nation.
“As we set forth I know we will overcome obstacles and grow as a team. We are fully prepared for what lies ahead of us,” added Fosson.
The unit now will head to Fort Bliss, TX for train up before heading to their area of operation.
“To the families, we have a great support network,” said Gardner. “Please use that backbone we have established through our family programs. God bless you and Godspeed 617th.”
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Kentucky National Guard has mobilized more than 18,000 Soldiers and Airmen in support of the Global War on Terror.
https://kentuckyguard.dodlive.mil/2020/01/09/kentucky-guardsmen-set-to-deploy/
None of that surprises me. I just now wonder two things:
First I wonder if even Sergeant Hester would prefer to not be a poster girl and would like to simply be one of the team who did their job to the best of their ability. And that does seem to be the case.
https://www.npr.org/2011/02/22/133847765/silver-star-recipient-a-reluctant-hero
Second, I wonder why we have never heard the names Ellen Ainsworth, Mary Roberts, Elaine Roe, and Rita Rourke.
https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/these-6-women-earned-the-silver-star-for-valor-in-war
None of that surprises me. I just now wonder two things:
First I wonder if even Sergeant Hester would prefer to not be a poster girl and would like to simply be one of the team who did their job to the best of their ability. And that does seem to be the case.
https://www.npr.org/2011/02/22/133847765/silver-star-recipient-a-reluctant-hero
Second, I wonder why we have never heard the names Ellen Ainsworth, Mary Roberts, Elaine Roe, and Rita Rourke.
https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/these-6-women-earned-the-silver-star-for-valor-in-war
Perhaps because Sgt. Hester was the first woman to win the award for direct combat action - taking the fight to the enemy.
That in no way, shaped, or form, takes anything away from the four female members of the medical corps who were awardedthe silver star at Anzio.
PFC Monica Brown (now Sergeant) is also a badass:
The small arms fire began to concentrate on the IED site as the Platoon Medic, Private First Class Brown, moved on foot to evaluate the casualties. She was exposed to the small arms fire until the maneuver element could swing around and begin suppressing the enemy as she treated the wounded Soldiers.
After making an initial assessment and treating in order of severity, she moved the casualties with the aid and direction of the Platoon Sergeant, into the wadi the engulfed vehicle was hanging over. The enemy fighters then engaged the patrol with mortar fire.
Private First Class Brown threw her own body over the casualties to shield them as the mortars were impacting 75 to 100 meters away. Approximately 15 mortars impacted within close range of the casualties as Private First Class Brown continued treatment. Private First Class Brown continued treatment in the wadi approximately 15 meters from the burning vehicle, at which time the onboard 60-mm. mortar, 5.56-mm. ammunition, and 40-mm. grenade rounds on board began to explode. Again disregarding her own safety, Private First Class Brown shielded the casualties with her own body as large chunks of shrapnel and 5.56-mm. rounds began flying through the air from the burning vehicle.
The patrol leader arrived on site and found it incredible she was still alive and treating the casualties amidst the extremely dangerous conditions she was operating under. Given the hazards to Private First Class Brown, the platoon sergeant used the ANA Ranger to move the wounded Soldiers and Private First Class Brown to a more protected position.
Not bad for 18 years old, kind of Greatest Generationish.
Perhaps because Sgt. Hester was the first woman to win the award for direct combat action - taking the fight to the enemy.
That in no way, shaped, or form, takes anything away from the four female members of the medical corps who were awardedthe silver star at Anzio.
PFC Monica Brown (now Sergeant) is also a badass:
The small arms fire began to concentrate on the IED site as the Platoon Medic, Private First Class Brown, moved on foot to evaluate the casualties. She was exposed to the small arms fire until the maneuver element could swing around and begin suppressing the enemy as she treated the wounded Soldiers.
After making an initial assessment and treating in order of severity, she moved the casualties with the aid and direction of the Platoon Sergeant, into the wadi the engulfed vehicle was hanging over. The enemy fighters then engaged the patrol with mortar fire.
Private First Class Brown threw her own body over the casualties to shield them as the mortars were impacting 75 to 100 meters away. Approximately 15 mortars impacted within close range of the casualties as Private First Class Brown continued treatment. Private First Class Brown continued treatment in the wadi approximately 15 meters from the burning vehicle, at which time the onboard 60-mm. mortar, 5.56-mm. ammunition, and 40-mm. grenade rounds on board began to explode. Again disregarding her own safety, Private First Class Brown shielded the casualties with her own body as large chunks of shrapnel and 5.56-mm. rounds began flying through the air from the burning vehicle.
The patrol leader arrived on site and found it incredible she was still alive and treating the casualties amidst the extremely dangerous conditions she was operating under. Given the hazards to Private First Class Brown, the platoon sergeant used the ANA Ranger to move the wounded Soldiers and Private First Class Brown to a more protected position.
Not bad for 18 years old, kind of Greatest Generationish.
Yeah, I did understand the distinction of direct combat. And I'm really not trying to be dismissive or disrespectful. As you say, not bad for an 18 year old kid.
I just wish we didn't have to go through the "novelty phase" of first woman this or first black guy that. I suppose it's the price we pay for once having had a segregated military and until recently not permitting females in combat roles.
In my mind, anyone who actually WANTS to join the military and anyone who WANTS to serve in combat arms should at a minimum be given a chance. I'd rather serve with somebody who actually wants to be there then somebody who got drafted or something like that.
Should have been done a long time ago, we either actually believe in freedom and equality or we don't.
Boba Fett v2
01-16-20, 05:29
More people know what shoes some worthless pop singer is recommending than this woman's achievements. She was just awarded The Silver Star:
"...Hester traversed two additional trenches on foot, killing three enemy soldiers with her M4 carbine before a ceasefire was called. The troops identified 27 deceased enemy soldiers, six injured, and one taken prisoner.
Three members of Hester’s unit had been injured in the gunfire, but all had survived.
Hester was awarded the coveted Silver Star, the third-highest decoration in the U.S. military for valor. The young sergeant was the first female in the U.S. Army to receive the award since World War II and the first female ever to receive the Silver Star for courage in combat."
https://www.theepochtimes.com/female-army-sergeant-repels-ambush-kills-3-becomes-first-woman-to-earn-silver-star-since-wwii_3164385.html?fbclid=IwAR0rTr4xB06571zUZBdnp_ma2ltZp36jWZdpv6xUWOQoq6Zl5Pqi3C-6O-M
#CombatVets #SilverStarWinner
Yeah, this happened way back in 2005. My PL's brother was her CO. At the start of my platoon's second tour in Iraq him and I stopped by to see him when we arrived back in theater and he was telling us they put her in for the Silver Star. He shared with us the after action photos of all the deceased dudes they killed who attempted to ambush the convoy her element was providing security for. They were among the most gruesome combat photos I've seen. IIRC her vic was trail providing rear security, enemy ambush was initiated, her team maneuvered to outflank the dudes in the trench since they were still well outside the kill zone, and then lit up the trench with either a crew served MK19 or M2 .50 cal. She then dismounted and cleared the trench on foot. Only one enemy combatant lived to tell the tale. Almost Hollywood in its execution. She put in the work. She's earned it.
daddyusmaximus
01-16-20, 07:41
Fine work there little sister... God bless you.
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