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Shawnee grad earns bronze star for Afghan service

Roles of women in combat expanding

Nikki Holman, a 1997 Shawnee High School graduate, received the Bronze Star for her service with in Afghanistan. Holman is one of a growing number of women who serve in a combat zone.

Contributed photo Nikki Holman, a 1997 Shawnee High School graduate, received the Bronze Star for her service with in Afghanistan. Holman is one of a growing number of women who serve in a combat zone.

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By Matt Sanctis, Staff Writer Updated 8:27 PM Sunday, December 4, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — Once, it was rare for U.S. women troops to be involved in combat. No more.

That change is illustrated by Shawnee High School graduate and Clark County native Nikki Holman.

During her year in Afghanistan, Holman was on constant lookout for any suspicious activity any time she and a U.S. Marine left their base in Kabul on a mission.

As troop commander of a two-person drive team, Holman had to be the eyes and ears of a U.S. Marine as he drove through the city’s unpredictable traffic.

“There is no rhyme or reason to traffic in Afghanistan, so he had to focus on driving,” she said.

“He relied on me to keep an eye out for (improvised explosive devices.) It was my job to look for IEDs in the road, on the curbs, on a person walking around our vehicle, in a car beside us, in the wheelbarrow approaching us or on the donkey cart in front of us. He had my back and I had his at all times.”

Holman, who recently received a Bronze Star for her efforts in Kabul, is one of a growing number of women who serve in a combat zone.

According to information from the Air Force Personnel Center, the Air Force has awarded 10,469 Bronze Star Medals since Sept. 11, 2001. Of those, 779 were awarded to females. In addition, 414 Bronze Star Medals were awarded for valor, three of which were awarded to females.

Holman, who also volunteered for security duty at the United States Forces command center during a 22-hour attack by insurgents on Sept. 13, said many of the roles now served by women may not have been available several years ago.

“Females are outside the wire (outside the confines of a base camp or support installation) more and more, which was very rare in the past,” Holman said.

According to information from the Department of Veterans Affairs, women comprise about 14.5 percent of all active-duty military and 18 percent of all National Guard and Reserves.

Colleen Ryan, who served as commander of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base from 2006 to 2008, said when she first began training as a navigator, there were only two or three women in her class.

While there were fewer women serving at that time, Ryan said the Air Force and other branches have traditionally been transparent in how they determine promotions and pay because of the systems they have in place. For example, because pay is based on rank, men and women receive the same compensation regardless of sex.

“It is equality just because of the way the system is set up,” Ryan said.

During her 13 years in the Air Force, Holman has served in a wide range of duties. In Kuwait, she was responsible for security, transportation and processing of foreign employees who worked on the base.

In Iraq, Holman served on a Personnel Support for Contingency Operations team, responsible for keeping track of all Air Force military members on the base.

“There are still some jobs that are male-only, but I think it’s not to say a woman can’t do those jobs,” Holman said.

She cited engagement teams that visit Afghan villages as an example, and said because of their beliefs, many village elders will not speak or interact with females.

Peter Mansoor, a retired Army colonel who served as executive officer to Gen. David Patraeus, said the nature of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq helped push the role women play in the military forward even further.

Mansoor, who now serves as the Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair in Military History at Ohio State University, said there are still some combat roles, including infantry and special forces, from which women are barred. But he said in the last 10 years, women have shown their value in combat many times.

Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, of Kentucky, earned the Silver Star after she led a group of military police in a counterattack against insurgents, for example.

Mansoor said the issue is a complicated one for the American public. While many Americans are comfortable with women serving in combat if they volunteer for service, that attitude often changes, for example, when the discussion turns to whether women should be allowed to be drafted.

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