[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20370]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRATULATIONS TO SERGEANT LEIGH ANN HESTER

 Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I would like to recognize and 
congratulate U.S. Army SGT Leigh Ann Hester, a recent recipient of the 
United Service Organization's `Service Member of the Year' Award. This 
honor is presented annually to one enlisted member from each branch of 
the Armed Forces and must be given to a soldier who demonstrates 
remarkable courage and skill, often risking their own lives to save the 
lives of others.
  On March 20, 2005, Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester of the 617th Military 
Police Company, a National Guard unit out of Richmond, KY, was 
escorting a convoy of 26 supply vehicles when they were suddenly 
ambushed. According to military accounts of the firefight, about 40 
insurgents attacked the convoy as it was traveling south of Baghdad, 
launching their assault from trenches alongside the road using rifles, 
machine guns, and rocketpropelled grenades. Despite being outnumbered 
five to one and coming under heavy enemy fire, Sergeant Hester led her 
team through the `kill zone' and into a flanking position, where she 
assaulted a trench line with grenades and M203 grenade-launcher rounds.
  Her quick thinking saved the lives of numerous convoy members. When 
the conflict ended, 27 insurgents were dead, 6 were wounded, and 1 was 
captured.
  SGT Leigh Ann Hester is the first woman to receive the USO `Service 
Member of the Year' Award and the first woman in over 60 years to 
receive the Silver Star--the Army's third highest award for valor in 
combat.
  SGT Hester was only 23 years old at the time of this encounter. She 
was born in 1982 in Bowling Green, KY, later moved to Nashville, TN, 
and she joined the National Guard in April of 2001. As she continues 
the legacy of military service in her family--her uncle, Carl 
Sollinger, served honorably in Vietnam, and her grandfather, Oran 
Sollinger, was awarded a Bronze Star for his valor in World War II--
Sergeant Hester intends to continue to serve our country by beginning a 
career in law enforcement.
  On behalf of the people of Kentucky and the Senate, I thank SGT Leigh 
Ann Hester for her commitment to her country, community, and fellow 
soldiers. It is my honor to recognize her today for her bravery and her 
accomplishments. My thoughts and prayers are always with her and all 
the men and women who protect this Nation.

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