|
 U.S.
Army Lieutenant Colonel
Kathryn Van Auken and Major
Lauralee Flannery were
awarded the Bronze Star with
"V" for valor for their
sustained courage and heroic
performance of duties while
serving in Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
Van Auken and Flannery had
been serving together in
Iraq in support of a Kuwait
Exploitation Team's
objective to secure, safe
guard and assist a Kuwait
forensic team in the
recovery of the remains of
Kuwaiti Prisoners of War and
Missing from the end of the
1991 Gulf War.
Van Auken and Flannery were
traveling together in the
lead vehicle on February 14,
2007. They had been tasked
with escorting the Kuwait
Forensic Team's convoy of 12
vehicles.
It was approximately 7:30
a.m. when the middle four
vehicles of the convoy were
hit with the largest planned
improvised explosive device
(IED) attack that had been
recorded up until that time.
Ten daisy-chained 155mm
mortar rounds had been
buried under the raised
causeway they were traveling
on, south of Razzazah Lake
in the vicinity of Karbala,
Iraq.
When these IEDs exploded
three vehicles were
destroyed, and passengers --
disoriented and bleeding --
began exiting their
vehicles.
We both exited our vehicle,"
Van Auken said. "[MAJ
Flannery] headed east and I
headed west trying to gather
up everyone and secure both
ends of the roadway against
secondary attacks."
As team leader, Van Auken
deployed rapidly,
undertaking a multiplicity
of actions, quickly radioing
instructions to move all
vehicles through the smoke
and debris and to follow her
vehicle into safety away
from the IED site to avoid
secondary devices.
In this highly fluid
situation, vehicles became
disabled. Van Auken and
Flannery quickly ordered the
destroyed vehicles to be
pushed out of the kill zone
by follow on vehicles in the
convoy in order to assemble
the team and get everyone to
a safe and secure distance.
Van Auken then maneuvered
the front column of Polish
security elements and Korean
Engineer vehicles into
security postures along west
side of the raised causeway
with great speed and
determination gaining the
advantage against any
follow-on IED or possible
ambush.
Both soldiers reacted
fearlessly and without
hesitation, running alone
down the west end of the
roadway to halt any oncoming
traffic, orienting Iraqi
vehicles to block the road,
dismissing large crowds
gathering, and
re-positioning Polish
security forces to assist.
The team provided medical
assistance to their Kuwaiti
team members who had been
badly cut with glass and
debris, and who were
vomiting and shaking on the
side of the road from the
shocking experience.
Their actions provided an
example of urgency and
purpose to fellow coalition
forces, and their courage
under fire unquestionably
saved the lives of coalition
forces, particularly the
civilians in their charge.
" We are battle buddies to
the end," Van Auken said. |
