Rhonda L. Cornum (born October 31, 1954) is a retired
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 ...
officer and the Director of Health Strategy for TechWerks.
She is a
surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...
, board-certified in
urology
Urology (from Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:οὖρον, οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of t ...
, having earned a doctorate in
biochemistry
Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...
and
nutrition
Nutrition is the biochemistry, biochemical and physiology, physiological process by which an organism uses food and water to support its life. The intake of these substances provides organisms with nutrients (divided into Macronutrient, macro- ...
from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
. Cornum worked at Letterman Army Institute of Research at the
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...
and entered the
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, in 1982.
She retired in 2012 as a
brigadier general, the Director of
Comprehensive Soldier Fitness in the Army Staff G-3/5/7 division.
She commanded the
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, was president of her class at the
National War College
In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active.
History
The National ...
, and then became the command surgeon for
United States Army Forces Command. As a brigadier general, she was
United States Army Assistant Surgeon General for Force Protection before working in the joint soldier fitness program. Cornum retired on January 31, 2012.
Early life and education
After her training in biochemistry, Cornum attended the
Uniformed Services University, the national military medical school. During her studies, she met her future husband, Kory Cornum, who would have a parallel military career in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
and also attain the rank of brigadier general.
Military career
At the United States Army Aviation Center, Cornum both researched and worked as a flight surgeon at the
United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence. Her interests were focused on the human factors of flight.
Gulf War
As a
flight surgeon with the
229th Attack Helicopter Regiment, then-Major Cornum was aboard a
Black Hawk helicopter on a search and rescue mission, looking for a downed F-16 pilot, during the
Gulf War
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When the helicopter was shot down on February 27, 1991, she suffered two broken arms, a broken finger, a gunshot wound in the back, and other injuries.
[ After regaining consciousness, she said her first thought was "Nobody's ever died from pain."]
Cornum was captured, made a prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
(POW), and sexually assaulted by one of her Iraqi captors. She was first taken to Basra
Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...
and then held prisoner for a week in Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
and released on March 5, 1991. In addition, she was subjected, with other prisoners, to a mock execution.[ Nevertheless, when she was the senior-ranking prisoner, she took responsibility for other POWs. She later co-wrote a book about her experiences, ''She Went to War: The Rhonda Cornum Story'' (), with Peter Copeland.
In an interview with the '']New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Cornum said the sexual assault "ranks as unpleasant; that's all it ranks ... everyone's made such a big deal about this indecent assault, but the only thing that makes it indecent is that it was non-consensual. I asked myself, 'Is it going to prevent me from getting out of here? Is there a risk of death attached to it? Is it permanently disabling? Is it permanently disfiguring? Lastly, is it excruciating?' If it doesn't fit one of those five categories, then it isn't important." She continued, "there's a phenomenal amount of focus on this for the women but not for the men," citing that the "mistreatment of ellow POWMajor Jeffrey S. Tice of the Air Force
An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
, who had a tooth explode from its socket when he was torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
d with jolts of electricity."
She testified about her treatment to the Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Services. Initially, she did not mention this abuse, at the request of her chain of command, when first repatriated. She gave additional detail in her book.
Cornum resumed her military career after she returned to the United States. She also served as the staff urologist at Eisenhower Army medical Center at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
Awards and decorations
Cornum's decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. ...
, Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...
with two oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...
, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, 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, ...
, Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establi ...
, and Prisoner of War Medal.[ She is one of only seven women in history to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross.
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornum, Rhonda
1954 births
Living people
American prisoners of war
Gulf War prisoners of war
Recipients of the Air Medal
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Female generals of the United States Army
United States Army Medical Corps officers
Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni
Military personnel from Dayton, Ohio
Prisoners of war held by Iraq
American people imprisoned in Iraq
20th-century American women
21st-century American women
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences alumni
American female military personnel of the Gulf War