Lt. Emily Perez, first African American and Hispanic to serve as Corps Command Sergeant Major at West Point Academy died on Sept. 12 2006 during a combat operation in Iraq. She was only 23 years old. She was killed from a roadside bomb explosion under her HUMVEE as she led her platoon in a convoy south of Baghdad.
The War on Terrorism is the most critical issue that America now faces. African American Women that served to defend our country should receive the utmost recognition. It has been over a year now that Perez has died. America will always remember Perez for her outstanding achievements. Many described her as the "Crème of the Crop or a Little Superwomen. "
In July 2001, Perez attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. She was a star student and talented athlete. Perez became the first minority female Command Sergeant Major in history of the U.S. Military Academy. She also was the Captain of the Track and Field team and sang in the Gospel choir. Perez graduated in the top percentile of her "Post-911" class with a B.S. in Sociology. Upon her graduation, Perez was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Armed Forces. She was a medical Service Corps Officer assigned to the Charlie Company, 204th Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division in Fort Hood, Texas. She was deployed to Iraq in December of 2005.
Her overall accolades were as follows: Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, Medical Service Officer Basic Course, and the Combat Action Badge.
Perez was the first student killed in Iraq and buried at the West Point Cemetery. She is the 64th female killed in the War on Terrorism.
1 comment:
Boyce, what a wonderful tribute to such a beautiful woman. When I look at her picture, I get such a nice feeing from her sincere smile. Her story and especially her picture really makes me feel troubled at the fact that she lost her life so early.
However, I have to disagree with your message on several levels. First, I do not believe in the "War on Terrorism" propaganda. We have no enemy. America is fighting against terrorist who do not exist. Second, America is not "at war" with Iraq, the Bush Administration is occupying Iraq. Third, American soldiers are not defending our country, they are pawns for the elite to earn more power and control. No matter how you slice it, Iraq had nothing to do with what happened on 9/11/01.
We need to stop this senseless war and bring our troops home. From this message, Perez had such a bright future ahead of her. We must not forget the fallen soldiers. We must honor human lifes. Enough is enough.
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