Amy Holmes Riley is a trauma nurse and captain in the Air National Guard who serves as a nurse at Terre Haute, Ind.-based Wabash Valley Surgery Center and Union Hospital in her civilian life, the Tribune Star reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. Inspired by her grandfather and her father, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Vietnam War, respectively, she joined the Army Reserves with her twin sister while they were in high school.
2. They were called to duty after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and were later sent to Taji, Iraq, where they served one tour.
3. While in Iraq, an explosive device struck a vehicle in front of Ms. Riley. She sustained a brain injury that caused hearing loss and a slow-growing brain tumor, which was successfully treated and removed at the VA Hospital in 2010.
4. Upon returning home, Ms. Riley re-enrolled at Terre Haute-based Indiana State University and switched her major from education to nursing because of her experience in Iraq.
"When people got hurt they were taken to an aid station or med-evaced out," she said. "I just thought those people were saving lives – the nurses and doctors – and I wanted to be part of that. I knew what I was doing was important, but I wanted to help more."
5. She continued serving in the Army Reserves and later switched to the Air National Guard in 2010.
6. Ms. Riley encourages women, including her daughter, to consider joining the military.