By Damarys Ocaña Perez
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11/11/2011 - 13:30
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2nd Lt. Emily Perez
A West Point graduate (she was the military academy’s first female minority Cadet Command Sergeant Major), she also made history as the first female black officer to die in combat after a bomb went off near her vehicle in Iraq. Perez, who was African American and Latina, received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, among other awards. A talented track star in school, she posthumously received the NCAA Award of Valor.
PHOTO: Veterans salute Emily at her funeral
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