Former Kopperl student, Army Specialist Monica Lin Brown was presented the Silver Star Medal by Vice President Dick Cheney during a ceremony at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Thursday, March 20, 2008. Brown is the second female since World War II to earn the Silver Star award for her gallant actions while in combat.

Pentagon policy prohibits women from serving in the front-line combat roles, in the infantry, armor or artillery, for example. But the nature of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with no real front lines , has seen women soldiers take part in close-quarters combat more than previous conflicts.

Four Army nurses in World War II were the first women to receive the Silver Star, though three nurses serving in World War I were awarded the medal posthumously last year, according to the Army’s Web site.

Monica is a 19-year-old medic from Lake Jackson, Texas who saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April. After the explosion, which wounded five soldiers in her unit, Brown ran through insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 meters away.

She then provided proper emergency medical care until help arrived when she began loading the wounded Soldiers in the vehicles. After moving to a more secure location several hundred meters away, she directed other combat-life-saver-qualified Soldiers to help by holding intravenous bags and assisting her in prepping the casualties for evacuation.

"After what seemed like an eternity, the attackers finally began retreating and I was able to perform more thorough aid procedures before the MEDVAC helicopter finally arrived to transport the casualties to safety," Brown said. Two hours after the initial attack, everything was over.

To say she handled herself well would be an understatement," said Bodani, one of the injured Soldiers, who quickly recovered from his injuries and immediately returned to work. "It was amazing to see her keep completely calm and take care of our guys with all that going on around her. Of all the medics we’ve had with us throughout the year, she was the one I trusted the most."

The military said Brown’s "bravery, unselfish actions and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat."

The senior class began the process of preparing the ground for the hedgerow at Kopperl Legacy Park. They cleared the area, scraped away the top layer of grasses and dirt, and tilled a 10’ X 80’ strip for planting the "living fence".

Crape Myrtles and Gold Wax Ligustrum have been purchased for the hedgerow. Dwarf Pink Mexican Petunias, Purple Mexican Petunias, and Monkey Grass have been donated to fill in under the canopy and Esperanza will be planted on the fence line along with the existing Honeysuckle. Plans are to plant several other trees on the park grounds including Mohawk Pecan, Red Bud, and Flowering Dogwood. We will also scatter wild flower seeds all over the levy and the area surrounding the expansion project.

If everything goes well and the weather permits, we will begin planting in early April. Our high school Art classes, Ag classes, and Industrial Arts classes will do lots of the work. This project has been more complicated than we expected. Researching, planning for and making all the arrangements, deciding on appropriate native plants, while keeping up with our class work has been challenging. Never the less, we can’t wait to make this addition and improvement to the park and will do the necessary work to make it a reality.

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