Community Corner
IB Woman First to Join California's Largest Purple Heart Chapter
Marlene Rodriguez moved back to Imperial Beach after retiring from the Army in 2009 and joined the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 49 last month.
After serving three tours of duty Iraq and surviving two roadside bombs and multiple injuries, Army Staff Sgt. Marlene Rodriguez of Imperial Beach was awarded a Purple Heart.
Rodriguez became the first woman to join Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 49 last month, Ulysses Miller, commander-elect of the chapter told U-T San Diego.
“I don’t think a bullet or a missile or shrapnel distinguishes gender,” Miller said.
With about 325 members, South San Diego's chapter is the largest in California.
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Roughly 500 women have been awarded the Purple Heart since 2001, a medal first created by General George Washington in 1782.
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