Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez (19 February 1983 – 12 September 2006) was an American military officer. After graduating from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

at West Point, Second Lieutenant Perez was serving in the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

when she was killed in action by an

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...

. She became the first black female officer in U.S. military history to die in combat and the first female graduate of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

to die in Iraq.

Early life and education

Perez was born in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, in a U.S. military family. Her mother was

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

and her father was Afro-Latino

Puerto-Rican Puerto Rican may refer to: *Something of or related to Puerto Rico, an archipelago located in the Caribbean and an unincorporated territory of the United States * Puerto Ricans, people from Puerto Rico, the inhabitants and citizens of Puerto Rico, ...

. As a child, she became fully fluent in German. When she was in tenth grade, her parents relocated to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. She graduated from

Oxon Hill High School Oxon Hill High School (OHHS) is a public senior high school, located in Oxon Hill, an unincorporated area in Prince George's County, Maryland, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. in the United States.

United States Military Academy

In July 2001, Perez entered the

, where she was a member of the class of 9/11. At West Point, she was an exemplary student and talented track athlete. Perez set school records as a sprinter, led the school's gospel choir and started a dance squad. At West Point, she was given the nickname "

Taz Taz or TAZ may refer to: Geography *Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia *Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia People * Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia ** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...

" by her classmates for her energy and short stature, at only . Upon graduation, Perez held the second highest rank in her senior class. As brigade command sergeant major, she became the highest-ranking minority woman cadet in West Point history.

Iraq deployment

Following graduation in 2005, Perez was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the

204th Support Battalion The mission of the 204th Brigade Support Battalion, "Rough Riders," is to, on order, deploy and execute responsive Combat Service Support and Combat Health Support in support of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division's objectives. ("R ...

, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

based at

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Cavazos is a United States Army Military installation, post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located ha ...

. In December 2005, Perez was deployed to

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

as a Medical Service Corps officer. Prior to deployment, she donated bone marrow to a stranger. Medical Service Corps officers typically run medical facilities in the field. In Iraq, she distinguished herself as a leader, supporting where she was needed. Perez volunteered to lead convoys of

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

s between battle stations, often driving in the front of the convoy.

Death

On September 12, 2006, Perez volunteered to lead a platoon when she was killed after a makeshift bomb exploded near her

near

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

. Perez was killed instantly. Emily Perez was the first black female officer to be killed in action in United States military history and the first female graduate of West Point to die in Iraq. She became the 64th female member of the U.S. military to be killed in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the 40th West Point graduate killed since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Perez was buried with full military honors at the

West Point Cemetery West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, West Point, New York (state), New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for Continental Army s ...

Honors and legacy

Lieutenant Perez's military awards include the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

;

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

;

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

;

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

;

Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of U.S. President George W. Bush on 29 November 2004, and became available for general distribution in June 2005. ...

;

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...

;

Army Service Ribbon The Army Service Ribbon (ASR) is a military award of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990. The Navy, Marine Corps, ...

;

Overseas Service Ribbon An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the ...

; and the

Combat Action Badge The Combat Action Badge (CAB) is a United States military Badges of the United States Army, award given to soldiers of the U.S. Army of any rank and who are not members of an infantry, special forces, or medical MOS, for being "present and active ...

. She posthumously received the NCAA Award of Valor in 2008. After her death, the 4th Infantry Division dedicated the Emily Perez Treatment Facility at

Forward Operating Base Kalsu Forward Operating Base Kalsu, also known as 'FOB Kalsu', COS Kalsu or simply Camp Kalsu, was a U.S. Military installation in Northern Babil Province , Iraq, 20 miles south of Baghdad. It was officially closed by members of the 1st Brigade Com ...

in her honor, and named a street, Emily’s Way, after her. In 2011, the American Legion Mulligan-Eden Post 1573 dedicated River Road as 2nd Lt. Emily J.T. Perez Memorial Way.

Exhibitions

Emily Perez's class ring, Bible and saber from West Point are now exhibited in the National Museum of African American History. Her identification tags, desert cap, and desert camouflage coat are exhibited in the

National Museum of the United States Army The National Museum of the United States Army is the official museum for the history of the United States Army . It opened on November 11, 2020. Its stated objectives are to honor America's soldiers, preserve Army history, and educate the public ...

References

External links

* * Partlow, Joshua and Lonnae O'Neal Parker
"West Point Mourns a Font Of Energy, Laid to Rest by War"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', 27 September 2006
Faces of the Fallen: 2nd Lt. Emily J. Perez
''The Washington Post''
West Point Graduate Is First of 'Class of 9/11' to Die in Combat
''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

'' via ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', 27 September 2006
Death Comes Calling For the Class of 9/11
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', 1 October 2006
Memorial program (PowerPoint)
medicalservicecorps.amedd.army.mil] {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Emily 1983 births 2006 deaths Military personnel from Heidelberg African-American female military personnel American military personnel killed in the Iraq War Burials at West Point Cemetery United States Military Academy alumni Women in the Iraq War Women in the United States Army United States Army personnel of the Iraq War 21st-century American women African-American United States Army personnel 21st-century African-American military personnel Puerto Rican people of African descent American people of Puerto Rican descent Puerto Rican military officers Puerto Rican women in the military United States Army Medical Corps officers Deaths by improvised explosive device in Iraq