Coast Guard Lt. Holly Harrison, who grew up in Vienna, has become the first woman in the Coast Guard to ever be awarded the Bronze Star for assistance to armed forces overseas in Iraq.
Harrison's career with the Coast Guard dates back to 1995, when she graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. She immediately became captain of one of the fleet's cutters in Alaska.
Her most recent assignment was commander of the Aquidneck, out of Atlantic Beach, N.C.
"We found out at the end of last October that we would possibly have to go over there," said Harrison, referring to herself and the crew of the Aquidneck. "We were kind of excited to be able to do this. We knew we had the skills to contribute."
In February, her ship headed overseas to the Arabian Gulf to provide protection for mine hunters in the water. By the end of the ship's second night in the Gulf, the crew had already become firsthand witnesses to the tragedies of war. Two coalition helicopters collided in midair close to the Aquidneck.
"We actually watched them collide," recalls Harrison, who said that they realized what was about to occur only seconds before it happened. The crew was on the accident site immediately to search for survivors.
Harrison had some tough calls to make during her service in the Gulf. Another night, a small boat with no lights approached the ship, and a decision had to be made whether to attack. The decision was made to wait, and moments later it was discovered to be a Navy SEAL boat.
"We're not sure what they were up to, but it was our job to know everything going in and out of our area," Harrison said.
The 30-year-old Harrison's history of service to people dates back to high school, when she took part in a program called the Law-Enforcement Explorer Program, designed to help students learn more about various professions within law enforcement. There she met Community Service Officer Virginia Palmore of the Vienna Police Department.
"Holly was the most incredible young person I had met in quite a while," Palmore said. "She knew exactly what she wanted at 18 years old. She knew she wanted to be in the Coast Guard."
While stationed at Coast Guard Headquarters, Harrison also graduated from the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Academy in 2000 as a volunteer firefighter and is currently an inactive member of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
"I remember when she brought her cutter up the Potomac and I brought my 6-year-old son to meet her," said Vienna Volunteer Fire Department president Howard Springsteen. "He thought it was super that the boat had a woman captain."
Next up on Harrison's plate will be acting as a senior instructor at the Maritime Law Enforcement School in Yorktown in September. Until that time, she plans to relax and spend time with her family in the area.
"It's kind of strange [being home]," she said. "Everything is so green and wet. And it's kind of tempting to stop at every fast food place I see."
Ultimately, Harrison believes her and her crew's experiences overseas will benefit more than just themselves.
"We'll take the skills we've learned over there and teach them to the fleet here at home," she said. "Sometimes you think you have things mastered, but you never really do."