The knocks on the door came late at night on Mother's Day 2008 in Oregon, where Jessica Ellis' parents lived. It was around 9.20pm and his wife, Linda, was already in bed; his father Steve Ellis told CBS News he thought someone was letting his animals out, but two soldiers in Class A uniforms were at the door.
“You know why they're there. I mean, they don't have to say anything,” Steve Ellis said.
Memorial of the Military Woman
Ellis, a combat medic assigned to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division in Iraq, had volunteered for the second time for a mission to clear a route . It was his second deployment to the region. He mainly accompanied combat engineers on clearing missions to look for roadside bombs, but this time, his vehicle was hit by three projectiles. Everyone had to leave through a back door. Ellis didn't make it. He was 24 years old.
“None of us imagined losing a daughter in combat,” her father said. “Life is never really the same after that.”
Increase in the number of women in the military, increase in fatalities
Women make up about 16 percent of the nation's military, the largest percentage in U.S. history, fueled in part by the opportunity to serve in all positions, including combat. But as the number of women serving in the military has grown, so have the number of fatalities.
Since the global war on terror began in 2001, 179 female service members have been killed in action, surpassing any other US war or engagement. Eight military women were killed in Vietnam.
“The Department of Defense is proud of the bravery and sacrifice made by all service members who have given their lives in defense of our nation,” a spokesperson told CBS News.
Memorial of the Military Woman
Still, said Marilla J. Cushman, senior adviser to the president at the Military Women's Memorial, a D.C.-based organization that tells the collective story of women's service, women have made great strides and now serve all army levels.
She said women “drive tanks, command thousands of people and fly fighter jets,” which was not possible when she served in the military for 25 years.
“I would be proud to stand next to any of these women,” Cushman said.
The ultimate sacrifice
Ellis' parents met with their daughter's comrades at Fort Campbell in Kentucky so they could learn more about what happened that night.
“She was such a happy little girl, she had such a warm personality and she lifted her unit – hundreds of men and women met us there,” Steve said.
His father said he was nicknamed “Doc Ellis.” He said his friends told them that even after he was gone, he “kept saving lives.” They told their parents that he trained them all to stop the bleeding and that they used his technique often after he left.
Courtesy of Steve Ellis
Just weeks before she was killed in action, her father said she had gone out on a similar mission. His vehicle was hit and he called his parents, his father recalled.
“He said his vehicle burned and his aid bag burned,” Steve said. “We told her to be careful. But that was the last time we spoke to her … about three weeks later she was murdered.”
Their colleagues helped them reconstruct what happened. Ellis borrowed an aid bag and volunteered to go back out. Last April, one of her doctor friends told her parents that Ellis' injuries from the first blast were worse than they knew. One of his legs became infected from the burn, he said the friend told them. But she didn't want to let her friends down, Ellis said.
Courtesy of Steve Ellis
“Talk about courage she got back out there, she volunteered to go back to our mission. There were 21 guys and she, she volunteered to go back out with burns on her leg,” Steve said.
Ellis was emblematic of a combat serviceman who is sacrificing so much to safeguard our freedoms, he said. These women, he said, were dedicated to their service, their sacrifice and, for some, “the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”
