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Choir chimed in: “For me, yeah, like, it’s just an eye-opener. She was like a little superwoman . . .so full of energy and life, and she was just willing to do anything.” Family friend Faith Bell reflectedon what Perez will be remembered for: “Her tenacity . . . her passion for life. One of the things thatwas important to Emily was not the fear of death but the fear of not living.” 10One of Cadet Perez’s best friends and closet classmates at West Point was Tiffany Martin, whois now a research fellow at a government consulting firm in Northern Virginia. Tiffany provides anappropriate backdrop to her intimate assessment of Emily: “On August 20, 2010, history was madeas the last U.S. Army combat brigade exited Iraq. Though fierce combat has significantly subsided,the courage, dreams, and valor of those that served and perished remain firmly in place. One of thosecourageous young people was Emily Perez.” 11 Regrettably, 2LT Perez never had the opportunity torise to the highest levels of the Army in terms of experience and seniority, but those who knew herwere confident she had what it takes to succeed as a military leader and nothing could have stoppedher from rising to the top.According to Martin, “Emily was a leader from the very beginning. Always loquacious, she wasa leader in her church where she started an HIV/AIDS ministry, and also worked on AIDS-relatedissues for the Red Cross. She was a leader in the classroom as well,” graduating from high schoolwith a GPA of 4.6 on a 5-point scale, which put her among the top ten graduates in her class. Thoughpart of an impressive family lineage of soldiers, Tiffany insisted that no clear signs pointed to Emilybecoming the adept military leader she ultimately proved to be. Her grandfather, Bill Gunter, servedwith the famed “Buffalo Soldiers” of the 24 th Combat Infantry Regiment, founded shortly after theend of the Civil War. Her great uncle, Eugene Harrison, was killed in action as a young Marine in theSouth Pacific in World War II, and another uncle, Elmer Sargent, retired from the Army as a sergeantmajor after serving in Operation DESERT STORM. 12Nevertheless, despite such military credentials among Emily’s forebears, Tiffany indicates that,as Emily arrived at the hallowed grounds of West Point for a summer leadership conference, shewas sure to tell her father, “Dad, I’m just doing this so I will have something to add to my resumé.”However, by the end of that week, Emily’s thought process had completely transformed, Tiffanyrecalled; she was captivated by the experience and committed to serving. “The intense camaraderieof the Corps of Cadets,” Tiffany recalls Emily saying, “reminded her of a family. She thoroughlyenjoyed the extreme competitiveness of being the best of the best.” 13 Emily’s father confirms Tiffany’srecollection that Emily had changed: “My wife and I had no idea or any sign from Emily that shewanted to go to West Point and pursue a military career. We were taken aback when mid-week ofthe academic workshop she began singing a different tune from what she stated was her objectivefor attending.” 14Soon after arriving at West Point on a more permanent basis and having survived Cadet BasicTraining (affectionately known as “Beast Barracks”), Cadet Perez and her colleagues barely had timeto adjust to the start of their first academic semester before the seminal event that led to them beingdubbed “The Class of 9/11.” For the next four years, these not-so-typical American college studentswere “steeled for war” and prepped in a way that their cadet predecessors had never been before.All USMA cadets realize that sooner or later, if they remain in uniform past their initial servicecommitment, they will likely be sent into harm’s way. For the Class of 9/11, however, the future wasmuch more definitive and uncomfortably close to a real, tangible war. Seventy-one percent of theclass branched into combat units and expected to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan as little as one year10Sylvia Amegashie and Meghan Venable-Thomas, September 26, 2006, in Ibid.11Tiffany L. Martin, e-mail to Daniel Perez, August 24, 2010, forwarded to author.12Tiffany L. Martin, op. cit., and Vicki Perez, e-mail to Daniel Perez, October 15, 2010.13Martin, op. cit.14Daniel Perez, e-mail to author, October 15, 2010.84Security and Defense Studies Review 2010 Fall-Winter Issue / Edicíón Otoño-Invierno 2010 / Edicão Outono-Inverno 2010 / Volume 11