Rhonda Cornum
Rhonda Cornum | |
---|---|
Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart | |
Spouse(s) | Kory G. Cornum |
Rhonda L. Cornum (born October 31, 1954) is a retired
She commanded the
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 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.[5]
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.[6] 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.[6] After regaining consciousness, she said her first thought was "Nobody's ever died from pain."[7]
Cornum was captured, made a
In an interview with the
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.[3]
Awards and decorations
Cornum's decorations include the
1st Badge | Expert Field Medical Badge | ||
---|---|---|---|
2nd Badge | Senior Flight Surgeon Badge | ||
3rd Badge | Parachutist Badge | ||
4th Badge | Air Assault Badge | ||
1st Row | Army Distinguished Service Medal
|
Oak Leaf Clusters
|
Distinguished Flying Cross |
2nd Row | Bronze Star Medal | Purple Heart | Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters |
3rd Row | Air Medal | Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
|
Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters
|
4th Row | Prisoner of War Medal | National Defense Service Medal with service star | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal |
5th Row | campaign stars
|
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | Army Service Ribbon |
6th Row | NATO Medal | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) |
References
- ^ "The family of Army Maj. Rhonda Leah Scott Cornum…". UPI. March 6, 1991. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ "About Us". TechWerks.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59114-086-3.
- ^ a b "Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum, Ph.D., M.D." (PDF). United States Army Combined Arms Center. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Rhonda Cornum (Nov–Dec 1989). "Crew Endurance: a New Perspective". United States Army Aviation Digest. 35 (9).
- ^ a b "A Woman's Burden". Time magazine. March 28, 2003. Archived from the original on April 4, 2003.
- ^ a b "Nobody has ever died from Pain". U.S. Army Reserve. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ^ "war story: rhonda cornum". pbs.org. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ "Rhonda L. Cornum" (PDF). Profiles of Women Soldiers. Official Homepage of the United States Army. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|publisher=
and|work=