When the supply convoy that Hester and her team were charged with supervising was ambushed by gunfire and grenades on the morning of March 20, 2005, the young sergeant had to think on her feet. This routine patrol turned into ground combat in a matter of seconds; 45 minutes of intense combat ensued.
The lead supply vehicle bore the brunt of the shots; it caught fire, trapping the vehicles behind it. But Hester remained unshaken, directing her team away from the enemy’s fire, and in doing so, they exposed the ditches the enemy were using as a “safe zone.”
Hester directed her team’s gunner to return fire. Shooting downrange, the gunner targeted over a dozen enemy soldiers who were concealing themselves in a nearby ditch. Then Hester herself dismounted her vehicle and threw grenades into the ditch by hand.
“It’s not like you see in the movies,” Hester explained. “They don’t, like, get shot and get blown back five feet. They just take a round, and they collapse.”
According to Military Times, 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.
take great pride in her. promote now.
ReplyDeleteshe is awesome. proven combat leadership is what the US Army needs in it's NCOs. promote now.
DeleteAlthough I salute her for her actions. I can't help but believe this is political.
ReplyDeleteOne firefight, silver star?
Bronze stars are normaly awarded to enlisted.
Silver stars to officers.
Unfortunately, too many times politics are more important than acts. (see john Jerry's awards)
I think lowering the standards cheapen them.
Negative. Even Marine enlisted have been awarded Silver Stars. "The status of the Silver Star was further clarified, when on Aug. 7, 1942, Congress authorized the award of the Silver Star to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the Navy since Dec. 6, 1941, distinguished himself by gallantry and intrepidity in action, but not of a nature to justify the award of the Navy Cross. Four months later, on Dec. 15, 1942, the decoration was extended to Army personnel for gallantry in action, but not of a degree to justify an award of the Distinguished Service Cross." https://usafeenlistedheritage.org/distinguished/decorated/criteria/?id=14
DeleteJust like the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross/Navy Cross can be awarded for a singular action, so too can the Silver Star and Bronze Star. In fact ANY personal award can be awarded for a singular action.
If I remember correctly, she was a National Guard troop.
ReplyDeleteThis was along time ago. 2005, so she has either been promoted, gotten out, or retired by now.
She is a police officer and SWAT operator for a police department in the suburbs of Nashville and serves in the National Guard, according to women Leaders in Law enforcement.
ReplyDeleteoooo. even better.
DeleteThat was dated 2005, that was a long time ago in our world.
ReplyDeleteWhat, nobody's gonna mention her red hair?
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Ann_Hester
ReplyDeleteShameful. Nothing against her, but a society that allows women to fight their wars is collapsing.
ReplyDelete"I'm sorry ma'am, but there are no open billets. I can put you on a waiting list, but it will be a long wait."
DeleteThat's always the question, when we read stories like this about a [ category ] who did [really great / really awful ] thing.
ReplyDeleteIs this a rarified event, an uncommon but typical event, or a reasonably common (But better story value) event?
We do not know and are banned from asking, much less publishing the answer.
So any appreciation of an interesting story: OMG! What a monster! Or Wow! What a hero! Is tainted.
Shame.
SFC Hester was an MP in Iraq running convoys. She was already an experienced combatant. On the day in question, she directed response to the attack and then followed her leader, SGT Nein, into roadside trenches which were sheltering enemy combatants. She and Nein were both awarded Silver Star Medals which were definitely earned and not political. Nein's award was later upgraded.
ReplyDeleteOfficers tend to receive more and higher ranked awards than their men for reasons both good and bad.
No one who has been in combat would have anything but complete respect for SFC Hester after reading the citation for her award. JWest