2nd woman awarded British Military Cross

LONDON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- A 5-foot-tall medical assistant became the second woman in Britain to be awarded the Military Cross in a ceremony Friday at Buckingham Palace.

Kate Nesbitt, 21, of Plymouth, Devon, was the first woman serving in the Navy to receive the medal, given for actions of gallantry on land. She was honored for treating a badly injured soldier while under Taliban fire in Afghanistan in March, The Times of London reported.

She received the decoration from Prince Charles.

"When it all happened, we were in the middle of an operation but I wouldn't in a million years have thought anyone would follow it up. It was the biggest shock when I got the news," she said afterward. "It made it all seem real being here today. It has been so special. When I looked over and saw my mum and dad in the audience, it was the proudest day of my life."

Nesbitt is now serving in a surgical assessment unit at a military hospital in Derriford.

Pvt. Michelle Norris of the Royal Army Medical Corps was awarded the Military Cross in 2007 for actions in Iraq the previous year.