The Cracked Acorn: Courage

Therefore, put on the full armor of God. – Ephesians 6:13

It seems like yesterday when we crossed the highway bridge at Front Royal, where we attended church. In the outside lane was a pickup with a Marine slogan. The man looked my way, and I pointed to Gloria…they saluted one another. (former Marines do that!)

 SEEKING: A young lady who can endure harsh conditions, adapts quickly to change, and is sacrificial to those around her.

Texan Monica Brown, who lived with her grandmother after high school, asked permission to enlist in the army with her older brother. She was trained as a medic and sent to Khost, Afghanistan, where a female medic was needed. The U.S. base consisted of tents and dirt barriers without running water and flush toilets. The medical station was barely large enough for a stretcher. “I loved it!” she said.

At dusk on April 25, 2007, at a forward operation base, her convoy of four Humvees passing through a dry creek bed came under insurgent fire; the last vehicle exploded in fire from a pressure-plate bomb. Brown and Sgt. Santos ran without cover to the burning vehicle to pull badly injured Spec. Smith then made a second trip to pull out the badly burned Spec. Spray from the fire engulfed the truck, now exploding from onboard ammunition.  The wounded were pulled to a nearby drainage ditch.  Still, under heavy attack, the wounded were moved to a safer dry gully; Brown used her body all this time to shield the wounded, and all the while, she applied bandages and started IVs.  She held Spray’s hand, which was charred and shaking, telling him, “It’s going to be okay.”  The attack was driven off, and 45 minutes later, the two soldiers were airlifted to the hospital.

Sgt. Aaron Best, the gunner that day, said,”I’ve seen a lot of grown men who didn’t have the courage and weren’t able to handle themselves under fire like she did, she didn’t miss a beat.”  Robbins, the platoon leader, “I was surprised that I was not killed and that Brown had laid over the wounded all this time with baseball sized pieces of aluminum flying everywhere.”

Since that day, 18-year-old Pfc. Monica Brown was given the Silver Star for repeatedly risking her life on April 25, 2007, to shield and treat her wounded comrades, displaying bravery and grit. She is the second woman to receive this nation’s high combat medal since World War II.

 Thanks to Cynthia Cline for her comments about Monica Browm above.

Cynthia Cline is a veteran of the U.S. Military, a Military Spouse, and a momma to two. She is passionate about books, coffee, and Jesus and wants to share her story to encourage women.  You can read more from her blog, A Faithful Step, where she encourages and equips women in Motherhood, Relationships, Military life, and Christian Spirituality.