Annual Richard Kemper
Memorial Contest
2018
Women were the focus of this year’s Kemper Contest, asking
students to introduce us to American women who have served, or are
currently serving our country in the military, as volunteers, or on
the home front. The three winning entries included a poem, an essay
and a drawing. In her poem titled “Angel in Fatigues”
Sylvie Gheewalla
described the work of Ruby Bradley, one of the most
highly decorated women in the history of the U.S. Military.
Serving in the Philippines as an Army nurse, she was captured by the
Japanese only three weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In
captivity, she and several other imprisoned nurses provided medical
help to the prisoners. She had assisted in 230 operations and
helped deliver 13 children before being freed by U.S. troops on
February 3, 1945. For the subject of his essay, Mark
Yukelis chose retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Patricia
Horoho, who was the 43rd U.S. Army Surgeon General
and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command. She was
the first woman to hold these positions as a Pentagon nurse. Horoho
was also recognized as a Nurse Hero by the American Red Cross
on September 14, 2002 for giving first aid to 75 victims during the
September 11 attack on the Pentagon. The drawing by Liana Haigis
illustrates the harrowing experience of Mary Jennings Hagar.
On July 29, 2009, on her third tour to Afghanistan, Hegar was
piloting a combat search and rescue helicopter to rescue soldiers
from an active battlefield. Taliban ground
forces disabled her helicopter, wounding Hegar with shrapnel to her
arm and leg. Despite her injuries, she was able to complete her
mission. Hegar was awarded the Purple
Heart for the wounds she
sustained. She was also awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross with
Valor Device in 2011 and remains one of the few women to receive
this medal after Amelia
Earhart. |
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The work
produced by each of the winners demonstrated thorough research as
well as genuine respect for the women they had selected.
As a special addition to this year’s
awards ceremony, two MHS seniors were recognized for their
commitment to join the ranks of other women who have served our
country. |
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