When Gen. George Washington established the Purple Heart in 1782, it’s not likely he envisioned a scenario where 221 years later a female soldier would earn the prestigious award for fighting in the heart of Iraq.

The Purple Heart is awarded to any member of the armed services wounded or killed in combat.

Jahala Hawkins, 27, niece of Catoosa County Coroner Vanita Hullander, was injured July 4 in Baghdad when a homemade bomb exploded, sending shrapnel through the windshield of the truck she was driving at the front of an Army convoy.

Hawkins, who received the Purple Heart for her actions during the incident, said investigators believe a civilian actually ran over the bomb, blowing up the back of his truck and rifling fragments through Hawkins’ vehicle.

She said deadly pieces of shrapnel missed her head by mere inches, but she fortunately only sustained glass cuts to her face. Despite the startling event, the training Hawkins and her fellow troops received kicked in immediately, she said.

“It happened so fast I just put my hands to my face,” she said. “I knew I was hit but I knew I was okay. We just jumped out, locked and loaded, and assumed security positions.”

Hawkins, a communications specialist with the Army’s 70th Engineer Battalion, said homemade bombs are often used as a distraction prior to a larger attack with rocket propelled grenades or small arms fire.

She said last week that despite her anger at the snipers and terrorists who plague U.S. soldiers in post-war Iraq she can understand why they attack.

“A lot of people there don’t have a job,” she said. “It’s nothing against us; it’s just a way for them to take care of themselves. But some of them get blown up in the process.”

Hawkins said many civilians are paid up to $100 by terrorists to plant bombs, which she said is three years’ pay for some Iraqi citizens.

“Training overcomes emotions,” she said. “But it’s hard once the action’s over with. You can understand their point-of-view, but when you see yourself and your friends getting injured it becomes personal.”

She said about 25 percent of her battalion is female, and despite the fact that there are several positions women are not allowed to hold, war puts all troops on the frontline.

“The dynamics of war are changing,” she said. “Everyone has computerized battle plans, and there is no frontline anymore. You’re going to get attacked anywhere you are weak.”

Hawkins said her battalion has been lucky; in the 10 months she was stationed in Iraq only one person died, Pvt. David Falanico. Hawkins said her friend, Renada Ford, was also injured by the rocket-propelled grenade attack that killed Falanico. Ford, a medic, couldn’t walk after the attack, so her fellow soldiers carried her to the other injured soldiers so she could treat them.

Rebuilding and support

Hawkins said post-war Iraq is filled with personal suffering. Her battalion was based in Abu Graib, a suburb of Baghdad — one of the country’s poorest areas, she said. Hawkins tells of small children who were always begging for food. She said one day a few of her fellow soldiers noticed some of the kids had bruises on them. When they went to talk to the father about the apparent abuse, they found he had no legs. The man said Saddam Hussein’s government had punished him by cutting off his legs and his only means to get food was to send his children out begging.

The battalion’s focus, until they were recently relieved of duty by the Army’s 1st Cavalry, was getting electricity, water and sewer service established in the city. Hawkins said that although life there is getting better and many jobs have been created for the people of Abu Graib during the rebuilding process, there is still a lot of work ahead.

“It may not be the best situation but we are getting them back to some semblance of normality,” she said. “We just want to get them on better footing than we found them.”

Hawkins was born in Chattanooga but grew up in South Florida. She still has plenty of relatives here locally, including her dad, Daniel, and sisters, Salina, 11, and Dena, 13, who live in Tunnel Hill.

“All the support and appreciation the troops get makes it a little easier,” she said. “Of course, nothing’s easy over there. I want to thank everyone who sent over letters and packages, it makes it not so lonely.”

Hawkins said she still has a few scars left from her cuts and is proud of her Purple Heart, but it’s not something a soldier wants to earn.

“The biggest reward is just being back on American soil,” she said