| * |
| * |
 |
| Joanne Rick Brown |
| It isn't every woman who can do thirty push-ups, rappel off the side of a tower, radio for a medical evacuation helicopter, find her way in unknown terrain with only a map and a compass, and hit a bull's-eye with a .45 automatic or M-16 rifle, but then, Lt. Col. Joanne Rick Brown never pretended to be just like everyone else. Even in high school, when some girls her age were twirling batons and leading cheers at the pep rally, Joanne was off in some show-ring, leading her horse through its paces. In the years since high school, Joanne has never been far removed from horses--her own or those belonging to Uncle Sam. Brown's roles today are varied--Joanne, Mommy, the commander's wife, Dr. Brown, or Lt. Col. Brown--and she is just as comfortable in a riding habit, fatigues, and combat boots, a cocktail dress, or a white lab coat. |
| A short woman with curly chestnut hair, Joanne is used to breaking ground. Joining the Army in 1972, she was the second female officer in the Veterinary Corps and, since entry, has been the ranking woman. In 1974 she commanded an all-male unit in Korea. Her vocation as an Army veterinarian has taken her from the icy cold of the Arctic Circle to the dry heat of the deserts of Bahrain and many places in between. Brown has received numerous military awards and decorations, including an Army Commendation Medal, and Expert Field Medical Badge, and two Meritorious Service Medals. She holds a master's degree in veterinary microbiology and is a member of the American College of Veterinary Preventative Medicine. Brown is now Chief of the Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, with duty at Fort Meade, Maryland. More than ten years have passed since I wrote this introduction to Joanne Brown's chapter in Women in Veterinary Medicine: Profiles of Success. Joanne is now retired (as a full Colonel) from the Army and living with her family on her dream farm, along with seven horses, five cats, and three dogs. Her daughter is a 2002 high school graduate. Dr. Brown is currently working for the Florida Department of Agriculture. Her areas of expertise are food safety and bioterrorism. |
 |
| H. Ellen Whiteley, D.V.M., All Rights Reserved |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
| "Women in Veterinary Medicine" Special price $14.98 (save $10) at the BookStore. |