2005 West Point class ring owned by 2nd Lieutenant Emily J. T. Perez
date: label: Date
content: 2005
name: label: Designed by
content: Tiffany & Co., American, founded 1837
label: Manufactured by
content: Balfour, American, founded 1913
label: Owned by
content: 2nd Lt. Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez, American, 1983 - 2006
label: Subject of
content: United States Military Academy, American, founded 1802
label: Subject of
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
notes: label: Caption
content: Emily Jazmin Tatum Perez was born on February 19, 1983, in Heidelberg, Germany, to a military family. She graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 28, 2005 and earned her commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Medical Services Corps. She was assigned as the Treatment Platoon Leader in Charlie Company, 204th Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, which deployed to Iraq in December 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Nine months later, on September 12, 2006, Perez was killed in action when the convoy she was leading was hit by an IED. She was the first African American female officer to be killed in combat and the first member of her graduating West Point class to die in Iraq. Lieutenant Perez was posthumously awarded several medals for her military service, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, and was buried at West Point Cemetery. After her death, the Army transferred Perez’s personal belongings, including her West Point class ring, to her parents, Vicki and Daniel Perez. To honor her daughter’s memory, Mrs. Perez wore the ring every day for ten years before donating it to the Museum.
label: Description
content: A 2005 West Point class ring owned by 2nd Lieutenant Emily J. T. Perez. The ring is 14k gold. The top of the ring has a dark yellow, marquise-cut semi-precious stone in the center with a conchoidal fracture. Outlining the center stone are 7 diamonds and three of the same semi-precious stones are located at the top, bottom, and right side of the center stone. One diamond is missing at top right of the center stone and one semi-precious stone is missing at the left side of the center stone. Engraved around the head of the ring on the shoulders is “WEST POINT” and “2005” with a diamond on either side of the year. One side of ring has the West Point crest engraved on the shank. The crest depicts an eagle with wings spread above the plumed helmet of Pallas Athena. The helmet is over a Greek sword. Scrolls are on both sides of the eagle’s body bearing West Point’s motto. The left side scrolls read “DUTY / HONOR / COUNTRY.” The scrolls on the right side read “WEST POINT / MDCCCII / USMA.” The other side of the ring has the graduating class of 2005 crest. The crest depicts an eagle over an American Flag and crossed swords. Above the eagle is “05” and “KEEPING FREEDOM ALIVE.” Engraved below the eagle is “USMA.” Engraved along the inside of the band on the bridge of the ring is “Emily J. T. Perez / All Through Christ.” Engraved on the inside of the ring along the base of the shank is “Balfour 14K.”
place: label: Place used
content: West Point, Orange County, New York, United States, North and Central America
label: Place used
content: Iraq, Asia
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Education
label: Topic
content: Iraq War, 2003-2011
label: Topic
content: Military
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Awards, Medals, and Insignia
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Vicki and Daniel Perez in memory of Lieutenant Emily J.T. Perez
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2018.68
objectType: label: Type
content: finger rings
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: gold with diamond and semiprecious stone
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 13/16 × 13/16 × 1 in. (2 × 2 × 2.5 cm)