Our Latest American Hero #37

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Army Sgt. 1st Class Merideth L. Howard, 52, of Alameda, Calif.; assigned to the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion, Army Reserve, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed Sept. 8 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near her Humvee in Kabul, Afghanistan. Also killed was Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul.

"Former Bryan Recruit Becomes a Casualty of the Afghan War"

The first woman to become a firefighter in Bryan died last week in Afghanistan, where she was serving in the Army.

Sgt. 1st Class Merideth Howard, 52, who lived in Waukesha, Wis., was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday, when a suicide car bomb exploded next to the Humvee carrying her and 15 others during a patrol, Army officials said. Another Army officer, Robert J. Paul, also died in the explosion.

In 1978, Merideth Howard became Bryan's first female firefighter after graduating with a master's degree in marine resource management from Texas A&M University. Howard, 52, died Friday in Kabul, Afghanistan, becoming the oldest female soldier killed in action.

At 52, Howard became the oldest female soldier from the United States killed in action since military operations began in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The grim designation joined more heralded accomplishments Howard achieved during her remarkable lifetime, friends said.

Howard, a Corpus Christi native, graduated from Texas A&M University in 1978 with a master's degree in marine resource management. That same year, she became the first female firefighter in Bryan. In college, Howard was a member of A&M's first women's tennis team. She also was the second woman to complete an eight-week recruit academy at the Brayton Fire School.

David White, who now is the publisher of Industrial Fire World magazine, was Howard's instructor at the fire school and kept in touch with her throughout the years.

"She was one tremendous firefighter," White said. "She was a good, dedicated, hard worker. She wasn't just a get-by person. She always did more than what she had to do."

White said Howard was a respected firefighter and easily fit in to the male-dominated job.

"As a firefighter, it's always like, can you physically do the job?" he said. "You've got to carry the hoses and raise the ladder. You are not going to find a frail, 100-pound person doing it - man or woman. [Howard] could do it. She might not have had all the strength, but determination made up for it."

During her time as a firefighter in Bryan, Howard served at Fire Station 1 as an engine driver for about 3 1/2 years. Bryan Fire Department Chief Mike Donoho said he remembers working with Howard, and he, too, respected her for her dedication and hard work.

"Some people had apprehensions about it within the organization," he said about Howard being the department's first female firefighter. "But she fit in very well within a short amount of time."

Donoho also remembered Howard as an intelligent person who was eager to help implement improvements within the department. He said she helped establish an on-site air system that allowed the department to fill its own respiration tanks. He also said Howard helped organize the department's first Muscular Dystrophy Association benefit car wash - an effort that has evolved into the "Fill the Boot" campaign.

Donoho said there are no female firefighters in the Bryan Fire Department now, but several have filled the ranks since Howard.

"Being the first female firefighter, [Howard] did open doors," he said. "By doing a good job and gaining respect, it gave everyone else a better chance. They had an easier road ahead of them because of what she established."

After working as a firefighter in Bryan, Howard and her husband moved to California, where she worked as a fire protection specialist, designing construction specifications and inspecting fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems and fire pumps. In 1988, she joined the Army Reserve as a medical equipment repairer.

Last fall, she was recalled to active duty and was assigned as a civil affairs sergeant with the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade out of Portland, Ore. In April, she was deployed to Afghanistan, where she helped rebuild roads, schools and infrastructure.

"She joined the Army because she thought it was something she should do," White said. "She was just one of those people who inspires you."

Howard's husband, Hugh Hvolboll, released a statement about his wife earlier this week chronicling her love of the ocean and travel and her passion for firefighting and fire safety.

"Merideth was a loving, affectionate and outgoing wife," he said. "She gave the shirt off her back to help each and every friend she had. She is greatly missed by her family and friends across the country."