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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, United States Army Sergeant Monica Lin Brown of Lake |
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Jackson has been awarded the Silver Star for her extraordinary |
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heroism; and |
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WHEREAS, On April 25, 2007, this brave soldier, who then held |
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the rank of specialist, was serving as a military medic in |
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Afghanistan; part of a patrol convoy that came under attack by |
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insurgents, she demonstrated true courage and commitment by rushing |
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to aid wounded soldiers in a Humvee that had been hit by an |
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explosive device; and |
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WHEREAS, The insurgents targeted mortar and small-arms fire |
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on the damaged vehicle, and Specialist Brown and the wounded troops |
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she was treating faced a further threat when ammunition in the |
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burning Humvee began to detonate; in the hail of bullets and |
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shrapnel, she used her body to shield her fallen comrades as she |
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tended to their injuries; and |
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WHEREAS, Thanks to the work of Specialist Brown and other |
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members of her unit, the wounded soldiers were moved to a safer |
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location and later evacuated; in commending her achievements on the |
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battlefield, the army noted that her "bravery, unselfish actions, |
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and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades |
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and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat"; and |
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WHEREAS, She was presented with the Silver Star by Vice |
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President Dick Cheney on March 20, 2008, when she was just 19 years |
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old, and she has the proud distinction of being the nation's |
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youngest recipient of that esteemed medal; and |
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WHEREAS, This seventh-generation Texan has since been |
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promoted to the rank of sergeant and is assigned to the 82nd |
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Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; she intends |
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to earn a nursing degree and hopes to serve as an army officer after |
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graduation; in addition to her continuing duties in uniform, she |
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has assisted the Military Moms organization in its worthwhile |
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efforts to support U.S. soldiers; and |
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WHEREAS, Sergeant Brown's actions during combat stand as a |
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tribute to the training and preparedness being offered by the |
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United States military and to the exemplary service of so many young |
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men and women defending their nation today; and |
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WHEREAS, Though she humbly maintains that she was only doing |
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her job on that fateful April day in Afghanistan, Monica Lin Brown |
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has proven herself a true hero; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Sergeant Monica Lin Brown for |
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receiving the Silver Star and commend her valiant performance as a |
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member of the armed forces; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Sergeant Brown as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |