VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTL #0372/01 3011414
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271414Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY TALLINN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0884
INFO RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0045

UNCLAS TALLINN 000372 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/IWI SANDRA PEDROARIAS 
EUR/NB MIGUEL RODRIGUES; EUR/PPD ANDREA STRANO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM EN
SUBJECT: ESTONIA: NOMINATION FOR 2009 SECRETARY'S 
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARD 
 
REF: STATE 99729 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  Embassy Tallinn is pleased to nominate 
Sergeant-Major Jaune Engel for the 2009 Secretary's 
International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award.  As a member of 
the Estonian Defense Forces ('ESTCOY-4') unit deployed in 
southern Afghanistan, Jaune Engel has shown remarkable 
courage by volunteering to serve in Afghanistan and 
maintaining her steadfast commitment to serving her country 
even after being severely wounded in a rocket attack.  Jaune 
Engel has emerged as symbol of triumph in the face of extreme 
personal adversity.  She represents personal strength and 
Estonia's unwavering support for the global war on terrorism. 
 
¶2. (U) Embassy Tallinn is pleased to nominate Sergeant-Major 
Jaune Engel, a nurse assigned to the ESTCOY-4 unit, for the 
2009 Secretary's International Women of Courage Award.  The 
following information is provided as requested in reftel. 
 
¶3. (U) Biographic information: 
Name: Jaune Engel 
Title: Sergeant Major in the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF). 
Sergeant Major Engel serves as a nurse in the EDF. 
Date of Birth: April 8, 1973 
Citizenship: Estonian 
Address, Telephone, and Email: Madala 24-13, Tallinn Estonia, 
+372-529-1257, jaunee@hotmail.com 
Passport Number: K3326621 
 
¶4. (U) Justification: Estonia has contributed to the NATO-led 
International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) 
since 2003.  Approximately 140 Estonian troops are currently 
deployed as part of the United Kingdom-led Task Force that 
conducts both combat and reconstruction operations in the 
province of Helmand in southern Afghanistan.  Helmand is by 
far one of, if not the most, dangerous provinces in 
Afghanistan ' the epicenter of opium production and a 
stronghold for insurgents and drug lords alike.'  Taliban 
fighters have long used the mountains of northern Helmand as 
a staging base for terrorist actions against ISAF troops. 
Estonia is one of the few NATO Allies willing to insert their 
troops in this perilous territory.  ESTCOY-4, Jaune Engel's 
unit, patrolled regularly in northern Helmand.  All members 
of the unit took part in unit operations; Nurse Jaune Engel 
was no exception. 
 
On June 23, 2007, Camp Bastion, where the ESTCOY-4 was based, 
came under rocket attack from insurgent forces.  The Estonian 
unit received the worst of the attack; two Estonian soldiers 
were killed instantly and four were wounded.  One of the 
rockets exploded close to Jaune Engel, critically wounding 
her.  She awoke in a field hospital to discover she had lost 
half of her right leg and was unable to see from her right 
eye.   The attack was especially poignant for Estonians as it 
happened on their Victory Day, a holiday that commemorates 
the heroic sacrifices of Estonians during their Independence 
War in 1919-1920.  This was also the first fatalities Estonia 
had suffered since joining the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. 
 
British forces medivaced Jaune Engel to England for immediate 
treatment.  It was soon apparent that Jaune Engel would face 
a long and difficult recovery.  Given the severity of her 
injuries, the Estonian Minister of Defense formally requested 
the U.S. Department of Defense accept Nurse Engel into a U.S. 
military medical facility for treatment. In November 2007, 
Jaune Engel traveled to Walter Reed Medical Center in 
Washington, DC to complete her prosthetics and undergo 
rehabilitation for her amputated lower right leg.  In a 
meeting with Ambassador prior to her departure, Nurse Engel 
showed her spirited approach to adversity.  She told 
Ambassador that her chief desire in receiving treatment in 
the United States was to be able to return to active military 
service so that she could return to Afghanistan and complete 
her mission.  She remained at Walter Reed for nine months. 
During that time, she underwent challenging physical 
rehabilitation at the Military Advanced Training Center for 
Soldier Amputees. 
 
Before volunteering to join the EDF as a medical specialist, 
Nurse Engel spent 12 years at the Estonian Cancer Center in 
the surgery department.  In 2006, after one and a half years 
in the EDF Medical Services Corps, Jaune volunteered to take 
part in Estonian's mission to Afghanistan.  She deployed as 
the nurse for ESTCOY-4, a motorized infantry company, and 
arrived in Afghanistan in May 2007.  According to Nurse 
Engel, she was motivated to join EDF because she felt the 
 
need to do something more with her life and thought the 
military offered the challenge she was seeking. 
 
Publicly and privately Nurse Engel has emphasized that, 
despite her injuries, she does not regret her decision to 
volunteer for military service.  Now back in Estonia, she is 
working on a comparative analysis of U.S. and British 
military medical systems and services for injured soldiers. 
Based on this analysis, she is looking at ways the EDF can 
improve its treatment of casualties (e.g. establishing 
support groups for injured soldiers). 
 
Sergeant-Major Jaune Engel's remarkable courage and 
commitment to service in the face of her life altering 
injuries makes her our clear choice for the 2009 
International Women of Courage Award. 
 
¶5. (U)  Sergeant-Major Jaune Engel has been notified of her 
nomination for this award. 
 
DECKER