One Woman's War And Peace: A Nurse's Journey In The Royal Australian Air Force

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.

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