Spc. Monica Lin Brown
19 years old from Lake Jackson, Texas
4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team

Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown has done something only a very few female soldiers in American history have ever done. She’s been awarded the Silver Star.

Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province of Afghanistan in April 2007. “I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there.”

“We stopped the convoy. I opened up my door and grabbed my aid bag,” Brown said.

She started running toward the burning vehicle as insurgents opened fire. All five wounded soldiers had scrambled out.

“I assessed the patients to see how bad they were. We tried to move them to a safer location because we were still receiving incoming fire,” Brown said. “So we dragged them for 100 or 200 meters, got them away from the Humvee a little bit,” she said. “I was in a kind of a robot-mode, did not think about much but getting the guys taken care of.”

For Brown, who knew all five wounded soldiers, it became a race to get them all to a safer location. Eventually, they moved the wounded some 500 yards away and treated them on site before putting them on a helicopter for evacuation.

“I did not really have time to be scared,” Brown said. “Running back to the vehicle, I was nervous (since) I did not know how badly the guys were injured. That was scary.”

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.”

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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I love being a blogger.  Want to know why?  I have meet so many interesting and genuinely nice people over the last 2 years I have been blogging.  Through blogging, I have been given an inside glimpse into their lives and they into mine.  I have to give a shout out to two fellow bloggers that have helped me tremendously this week.  First, there is Elizabeth from Table for Five.  She helped me rewrite an article I have put countless hours into that I couldn’t get right.  On her first try, she got exactly what I was looking for!  She wouldn’t let me pay her for her help (though I am donating to her BlogHer fund!)  The other person I have to thank is Jenn from Everyday Randomness.  She helped me with header over at My Road Less Traveled By.  Actually, she redesigned the whole thing so my title of the blog shows up.  She also didn’t ask for anything for this work.  In a world that is so jaded, it is nice to know so many nice and caring people out there.  I have always tried when possible to help others too.  Even so, I was surprised to see this at my door:

This postie pack was sitting on my front steps.  When I first opened the box, I thought maybe, since my birthday is next week, this was just a present of sorts.  Instead, it had a hand written note from Ted (CEO of Izea) thanking me for my help and dedication on the Izea forums.  I have to admit that I was impressed that Ted took time out of his busy schedule to do that.  He could have very easily just printed off a form letter.  Madison absolutely loves the pen.  She immediately took it out of the box and started playing with it.  I had to leave for my chiropractors appointment, so I had to quit playing with everything and go.  By the time I got home tonight, we ate supper and the kids went to bed.  I will get a picture of Madison tomorrow with her new pen.  It is soooo cute.  You guys seriously made my night.  I can honestly say I have never been given award ever, so this made my day.  I actually called my mom and sister on the way to my appointment to tell them, because I was so excited.

Ted, I’d like to thank you too.  You made a company that allows moms like me to make money and stay home with their kids.  You’ve allowed people to supplement their incomes when needed.  There are so many things that wouldn’t have been possible at my house without the added income that blogging has provided my family.  It has been a long and bumpy road, but I am so glad I have been along for the ride.

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I actually typed this up on Wednesday morning before I left for Miami.  My WiFi connection was not great there and didn’t work most of the time, so I am finally posting this now.

It’s about 9 am and I have been up since 5:30 am.  I am at O’hare (even though this won’t publish until I am already in Miami since I refuse to pay $6.95 for wifi for the thirty minutes or so I’ll actually have time to blog).  I am amazed at the amount of kids that will be on my flight.  Not all are so little.  There is one little one that I am terrified is going to be sitting next to me.  I left my kids home for a reason.  I do not want to be sitting next to them.  I know that sounds really bad since the kid looks to be a little older than Will.  I should be more understanding because I have kids.  However, the grandmother is currently chasing the little one around the concourse right now.  Every time she makes him sit down, he screams.  Please keep your fingers crossed for me.  Otherwise, this is going to be a really, really, really long flight.

After the bad weather last night (50 mph winds and snow), I am amazed that my flight is even going to leave on time.  O’hare is known for delays, so I was happily surprised that there were no delays.  Woo hoo!!!  The crazy part of this trip is that with the wind chill it is -25 degrees.  Currently, it is 71 in Miami. 

I started feeling guilty last night already.  I spend 24/7 with my kids so I do like the break.  However, with that, I feel incredibly guilty that I am leaving for 3 days.  I know they are perfectly fine with my mother in law.  However, the mom guilt always gets you.

I did have a funny moment happen at the airport.  This may be lack of sleep though and only funny to me.  I was walking around looking for a bathroom.  They had a sign for a drinking fountain which basically is a person who is bent over drinking.  Well, at first glance, it looked like somebody throwing up.  I literally stopped  and did a double take.  I realized what it really was and laughed to myself (don’t want to laugh out loud by myself at the airport – they make think I am crazy lol).  

At this point, we are waiting for the flight attendants so we can board the plane.  The plane is here, the pilots are here, however, we have no flight attendants.  I think they said they were running late.   The plane is not suppose to take off for another 25 minutes, so as long as everyone boards quickly, we should still take off on time (in theory). 

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Okay, I have been slacking.  I keep forgetting to do this meme.  Here are the questions for this week:

#1. Bacon. Chewy, crispy or burnt?  Chewy.  Doesn’t that sound so yummy?
#2. Mayonnaise or miracle whip?  I am a miracle whip girl, but the hubby is a mayonnaise man.  Yes, we have a jar of each  in the house.

#3. What green vegetable is used in Italian Wedding soup?  Spinach (I had to look it up though – lol)

#4. Share a recipe that you use Italian sausage in.  Lasagna:

Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz) lasagna noodles
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 eggs
2 lbs ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar (48 oz) seasoned tomato sauce

Makes 8 servings
Prep time: 25 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook lasagna noodles as package directs; drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, cook sausage and onion till brown. Drain fat. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Mix well.

Spread a layer of tomato sauce in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish; top with a layer of noodles. Cover noodles with a layer of the cheese mixture; top with some sausage mixture. Cover with a layer of sauce. Repeat layering with noodles, cheese mixture, sausage mixture, and sauce. Top with final layer of noodles and sauce.

Bake covered for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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This Week’s Soldier Was Suggested By Kat

Sgt. Michael J. Stokely
23 years old from Sharpsburg, Georgia
1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment, 48th Brigade Combat Team
August 16, 2005
Next Saturday, August 25, the town of Peachtree City, Ga. will be holding it’s inaugural Ride To Remember for Sgt. Michael Stokely who lost his life two years ago tomorrow in Baghdad, Iraq when an IED detonated near his position. The patrol he was with had stopped and the NCO in charge had everyone take a rest while he walked back down the road with a Corporal to check out something suspicious. Sgt. Stokely refused to to rest, and instead took up a flanking position at the rear of his truck to watch their backs. Which, as a Cav Scout dismount, he saw as his job. The NCO and Corporal heard cracking noises and made their way to the sound when they were hit by an explosion. The NCO was seriously wounded but the Corporal made it through without a scratch. Sgt. Stokely, however, wasn’t so lucky.

You can read more about Sgt. Michael Stokely here and here.

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

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