One Woman’s War and Peace : A Nurse's Journey in the Royal Australian Air Force

Sharon Bown's remarkable 16-year career with the RAAF saw her deployed to East Timor, Bali and Afghanistan. From barely surviving a helicopter crash to commanding a combat surgical team, her story is a confronting, but ultimately inspirational, account of what our men and women in the military experience, and the price they pay for their service. In 1999, Idealistic 23-year-old Registered Nurse Sharon Bown Left Her Comfortable Family Life In Tasmania And Joined The Royal Australian Air Force With The Aim Of Providing Humanitarian Aid To The World. Through Her 16-year Military Career She Deployed On Three Operations, Barely Survived A Helicopter Crash, Struggled To Return To Military Service, Mixed In Political Circles In Canberra And Around The World As Aide De Camp To The Minister For Defence, And Commanded A Combat Surgical Team During Some Of The Most Intense Fighting In Afghanistan. During This Time, She Lost Her Mother To Breast Cancer And Almost Lost Her Policeman Father To A Homicidal Psychopath On His Way To Shoot Dead His Girlfriend But Who Decided To Kill A Cop Instead. From Teaching East Timorese Orphans To Learn English To Tending To Wounded Coalition Soldiers Choppered Into Her Surgical Team From Deadly Battles On The Afghan Dust, Sharon's Story Is That Of A Sheltered Civilian Rn Becoming A Military Nursing Officer And A Commander. Her Military Service Was Unique, Varied And Far-reaching But Came At The Cost Of Her Physical And Mental Health. A Broken Back, Shattered Jaw And Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Are The Price She Has Paid For A Remarkable And Inspirational Career In The Royal Australian Air Force. 1. Officer Training School -- 2. Deployment To East Timor -- 3. Far From Home -- 4. Return To East Timor -- 5. 'mayday!' 'mayday!' -- 6. Broken And Banged Up -- 7. Losing Mum, Losing Friends, Losing Hope -- 8. Working For The Minister For Defence -- 9. 'how Does That Feel, Copper?' -- 10. Taking Command And Afghanistan -- 11. The Darkness -- 12. The Dawn. Sharon Bown ; [foreword By Brendan Nelson]. Includes Index. An Hourglass Book--title Page Verso. Sometimes humorous, at times tragic, often deeply moving, Sharon Bown's story is that of a courageous, compassionate, and inspirational woman who has experienced a life most of us could never imagine. When Sharon, as a young Registered Nurse from Tasmania, joined the Royal Australian Air Force it was with the goal of providing humanitarian aid to the world. She never imagined that, on her retirement, she would have served in East Timor, Bali and Afghanistan - working to save the lives of others, but almost losing her own. As an Air Force Officer, she not only survived a helicopter crash that left her with a shattered jaw, and a broken back, but fought back from her injuries to resume her military duties. As commander of a combat surgical team during some of the most intense fighting in Afghanistan, she made sure that the first and last sight for any Australian soldier on the operating table was the Australian flag. As a nurse, she experienced the heartbreak of losing patients, some of whom she and her team had battled for hours to save. 'Wing Commander (Ret'd) Sharon Bown's One Woman's War and Peace is a powerful, inspiring, must-read story of Anzac Spirit ... She is all of them. And she is one of us.' ~ Lee Kernaghan OAM 'Sharon's story is one that is rarely heard. One of Compassion, Commitment and Courage.' ~ Mark Donaldson VC '[This] book ... will stay with you forever. It will remind you that even in your darkest hours there is hope.' ~ Kay Danes OAM 'An honest and inspiring account of one woman's life in the service of her country. Sharon has experienced the lowest of lows and the highest of highs, yet in every circumstance, Sharon's amazing courage shines through.' ~ Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFK (Ret'd) Annotation In 1999, idealistic 23-year-old Registered Nurse Sharon Bown left her comfortable family life in Tasmania and joined the Royal Australian Air Force with the aim of providing humanitarian aid to the world. Through her 16-year military career she deployed on three operations, barely survived a helicopter crash, struggled to return to military service, mixed in political circles in Canberra and around the world as Aide de Camp to the Minister for Defence, and commanded a combat surgical team during some of the most intense fighting in Afghanistan. During this time, she lost her mother to breast cancer and almost lost her policeman father to a homicidal psychopath on his way to shoot dead his girlfriend but who decided to kill a cop instead. From teaching East Timorese orphans to learn English to tending to wounded Coalition soldiers choppered into her surgical team from deadly battles on the Afghan dust, Sharon's story is that of a sheltered civilian RN becoming a military Nursing Officer and a commander. Her military service was unique, varied and far-reaching but came at the cost of her physical and mental health. A broken back, shattered jaw and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are the price she has paid for a remarkable and inspirational career in the Royal Australian Air Force "When Sharon, as a young Registered Nurse from Tasmania, joined the Royal Australian Air Force it was with the goal of providing humanitarian aid to the world. She never imagined that, on her retirement, she would have served in East Timor, Bali and Afghanistan -- working to save the lives of others, but almost losing her own. As an Air Force Officer, she not only survived a helicopter crash that left her with a shattered jaw and a broken back, but fought back from her injuries to resume her military duties. As commander of a combat surgical team during some of the most intense fighting in Afghanistan, she made sure that the first and last sight for any Australian soldier on the operating table was the Australian flag. As a nurse, she experienced the heart break of losing patients, some of whom she and her team had battled hours to save." -- Back cover

Sharon Bown's remarkable 16-year career with the Royal Australian Air Force saw her deployed to East Timor, Bali and Afghanistan. She also served for a year as Aide-de-Camp to the Minister for Defence. From barely surviving a helicopter crash to commanding a combat surgical team, Sharon's journey is a confronting, but ultimately inspirational, account of what our men and women in the military experience, and the price they pay for their service.