Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez (19 February 1983 – 12 September 2006) was an African-American military officer. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Second Lieutenant Perez was serving in the Iraq War when she was killed in action by an improvised explosive device. She became the first black female officer in U.S. military history to die in combat and the first female graduate of West Point to die in Iraq.
Emily Perez | |
|---|---|
 Pictured as a USMA cadet in 2005 | |
| Birth name | Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez |
| Nickname(s) | Taz |
| Born | 19 February 1983 Heidelberg, West Germany |
| Died | 12 September 2006 (aged 23) KIA in Al Kifl, Iraq |
| Cause of death | Improvised explosive device |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 2001–2006 (USMA Cadet and active duty officer) |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Unit | 204th Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade |
| Battles / wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | Bronze Star Purple Heart National Defense Service Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy |
Early life and education
editPerez was born in Heidelberg, West Germany, in a U.S. military family. Her mother was African-American and her father was Afro-Latino Puerto-Rican.[1] As a child, she became fully fluent in German.[2] When she was in tenth grade, her parents relocated to Maryland. She graduated from Oxon Hill High School, where she ranked among the top 5% of students in her class.[2]
United States Military Academy
editIn July 2001, Perez entered the United States Military Academy, where she was a member of the class of 9/11.[3] 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.[4] At West Point, she was given the nickname "Taz" by her classmates for her energy and short stature, at only 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m).[3][5] Upon graduation, Perez held the second highest rank in her senior class.[4] As brigade command sergeant major, she became the highest-ranking minority woman cadet in West Point history.[1]
Iraq deployment
edit
Following graduation in 2005, Perez was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the 204th Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division of the United States Army based at Fort Hood, Texas.[1][6]
In December 2005, Perez was deployed to Iraq as a Medical Service Corps officer. Prior to deployment, she donated bone marrow to a stranger.[4] 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 Humvees between battle stations, often driving in the front of the convoy.[3]
Death
edit
On September 12, 2006, Perez volunteered to lead a platoon when she was killed after a makeshift bomb exploded near her Humvee near Najaf.[6] Perez was killed instantly.[5]
Emily Perez was the first black female officer to be killed in action in United States military history[1] and the first female graduate of West Point to die in Iraq.[7] 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.[8]
Perez was buried with full military honors at the West Point Cemetery.[3][9]
Honors and legacy
edit
Lieutenant Perez's military awards include the Bronze Star; Purple Heart; Army Commendation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; and the Combat Action Badge.[1] She posthumously received the NCAA Award of Valor in 2008.[1]
After her death, the 4th Infantry Division dedicated the Emily Perez Treatment Facility at Forward Operating Base Kalsu in her honor, and named a street, Emily’s Way, after her.[10][5] In 2011, the American Legion Mulligan-Eden Post 1573 dedicated River Road as 2nd Lt. Emily J.T. Perez Memorial Way.[5]
Exhibitions
editEmily Perez's class ring, Bible and saber from West Point are now exhibited in the National Museum of African American History.[1][11] Her identification tags, desert cap, and desert camouflage coat are exhibited in the National Museum of the United States Army.[3]
See also
edit- Megan McClung, first female United States Marine Corps officer killed in combat during the Iraq War, and the first female graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy to be killed in action.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ a b Casscells (III), Samuel Ward (2009). When it Mattered Most: Remembering Our Fallen Medical Personnel in Iraq-Afghanistan. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs). pp. 262–262. ISBN 978-0-16-081852-3.
- ^ a b c d e Willmes, Megan. "Emily J.T. Perez". National Museum of the United States Army. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "Death Comes Calling For the Class of 9/11 -- Page 1 -- TIME". web.archive.org. 13 March 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Emily's Way: Gold Star Mother shares daughter's inspiring story". www.army.mil. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ a b "West Point Graduate Is First of 'Class of 9/11' to Die in Combat". Los Angeles Times. 27 September 2006. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "West Point Mourns a Font of Energy, Laid to Rest by War". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- ^ Diana (7 June 2020). "Emily Perez, Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army". Foundation for Women Warriors. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "Emily J.T. Perez". Military Health System. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "LT PEREZ Emily Jazmin Tatum USA". www.west-point.org. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ "2005 West Point class ring owned by 2nd Lieutenant Emily J. T. Perez". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
External links
edit- Emily Perez profile at TFRRS
- Partlow, Joshua and Lonnae O'Neal Parker, "West Point Mourns a Font Of Energy, Laid to Rest by War", The Washington Post, 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 via Los Angeles Times, 27 September 2006
- Death Comes Calling For the Class of 9/11, Time, 1 October 2006
- Memorial program (PowerPoint), medicalservicecorps.amedd.army.mil]