Women have been serving in combat for years, in spite of not receiving the credit for doing so, and often in the face of public scrutiny and even blatant bigotry.  US Army Captain Jennifer Moreno was one of them.  

Far too often, the contributions of women combat veterans are watered down to suit a gender discriminatory palate within the American public.  The aim appears to be an effort to ensure that female soldiers are not viewed as equals or even peers to their male counterparts.  

CPT Jennifer Moreno, 25, of San Diego, CA, died on October 6, 2013 in Zhari District, Afghanistan.  CPT Moreno was assigned to Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, when she died of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked her unit with an improvised explosive device while attempting to rescue injured soldiers from a series of explosions that injured 14 Army Rangers in a raid force of 40.  Reports persistently depict that in spite of Moreno's heroism, that she was just "there" and "serving in the role of cultural support."  Such claims would be on par with reports depicting that the US Army's 3rd Infantry Division was merely "there" for "support" during WWII in Europe. 

The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an enemy of the United States. Due to the nature of this medal, it is commonly presented posthumously.  

We petition you today to award CPT Jennifer Moreno with a posthumous Medal of Honor for going above and beyond the call of duty as a female combat veteran who was not given the credit or equal access to training as male soldiers, yet she still ran into an explosives-filled area to rescue fallen comrades and lost her life in the process.  Even the US Army has stated that her sacrifice stymied an attack "that would have resulted in the deaths of unknown multitudes of innocent civilians." 

Please give CPT Jennifer Moreno the honor and respect that she deserves.