Iraqi military-issued medical sling
date: label: associated dates
content: 1991 / 1991
name: label: wearer
content: Cornum, Rhonda L.
notes: label: Description
content: Iraqi military-issued medical sling of a cotton muslin material. The material is printed in brown ink with diagrams and instructions in Arabic for how to use the cloth as a sling or for stabilizing other injuries.
label: Description
content: This sling was worn by then U.S. Army Major Rhonda Cornum while incarcerated as a prisoner of war. As a flight surgeon assigned to the 229th Attack Helicopter Regiment, she flew aboard a Black Hawk helicopter participating in a search and rescue operation for the downed pilot of an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter during Operation Desert Storm. On 27 February 1991, Iraqi forces shot down Cornum’s helicopter. She sustained two broken arms, a broken finger, gunshot wound and other injuries the crash. Captured by Iraqi soldiers, Cornum would be the senior ranking prisoner of war and took leadership of the other prisoners held with her. Released from captivity after eight days, she recovered from her wounds and retired from the Army as a brigadier general in 2012.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: associated place
content: Iraq
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Rhonda L. Cornum
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1991.0402.05
label: catalog number
content: 1991.0402.05
label: accession number
content: 1991.0402
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Sling
label: Other Terms
content: Sling; Equipment, Medical
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cotton (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: white (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: brown (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: average spatial: 102 mm; x 4 in