Memorializing my Sister-in-Arms

As we reflect on this Memorial Day, a day to solemnly remember those who died in active military service, I’d like to share the memory of my sister-in-arms Lieutenant Colonel Jaimie E. Leonard. Sisters-in-arms, not a common phrase uttered too often outside of a small circle of women who serve but one worth highlighting and explaining. Of those serving in the Army today, approximately 14% are women. When Jaimie and I attended West Point together women made up just slightly above ten percent of the Corps of Cadets. Of those women who continued serving past our initial obligation the percentage of women serving fell into single digits and the small circle of sisters-in-arms formed an even stronger bond.

Jaimie and I last spoke in 2011 when she was serving in Afghanistan. We were both military intelligence officers and we combined work efforts to ensure the success of a critical mission. In a field where time is always of the essence, we had little time to reminisce, but we caught up on how life was going. Military members can often do this in a matter of minutes. It’s a unique skill to start from West Point stories and then fast forward to the present through a rapid summation of places stationed, jobs held, and current work. Jaimie ran me through her deployment to Bosnia, selection to the prestigious Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense Intern Program, and current job in the historic 10^th Mountain Division. I remember telling her how I recalled passing her on the way to the boat house on south docks for her crew practice as I was committed to running my many laps around West Point on the marathon team. We laughed about time passing the both of us by and committed to meeting up sometime soon.

As I served in Fort Knox, Kentucky Jaimie deployed back to Afghanistan two years after we’d last spoken there. In the summer of June 2013, I’d heard the fateful news of Jaimie’s passing. She was killed from an insider attack in Paktika province by a man in an Afghan uniform. If there is ever a way to explain how that feels when you hear about a fellow warrior dying, for me it was like getting hit by the strongest punch in the gut I had ever faced, my mouth dried up, and the tears welled up in my eyes. The racing thought in my brain went from denial by checking the report again in hopes that it meant to say Wounded in Action and not Killed in Action. Thoughts shifted to anger at the fact some horrific attack killed your friend, to then bargaining with God to just bring her back. The depression of losing such a great person continued for a long time. Finally, the time came when I accepted her loss and slowly all thoughts turned to thinking about all the good times we shared together. I wanted everyone to recognize her service in any way possible, especially in our military intelligence field. I’d spent time trying to get a building named after her at the home of intelligence, luckily her friends on the West Point crew team achieved success in getting a shell/rowing boat memorialized in her name. This Memorial Day I dedicate my thoughts to sharing how truly wonderful Jaimie Leonard was.

Jaimie Leonard died on June 8^th, 2013 when she was 39 years old in Sharana, Afghanistan. She was honored with two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Commendation Medal, three Army Commendation Medals, the Valorous Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medals, Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korean Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, five Overseas Service Ribbons, the NATO Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge. She is the most senior female US military officer to be killed in combat.

Jaimie was a true hero, a badass officer, and smart as a whip. She had a sense of adventure, compassion for others and left a legacy. The Army was better because she was in it. My life was made better for knowing her. This Memorial Day I remember my amazing sister-in-arms, Lieutenant Colonel Jaimie Leonard. May she rest in peace.