Remarkable Women 2025 winner: Buffalo combat veteran Monica Lynch instills hope
In 1990, Lynch answered the call to serve.
'I went right on down on Huron Street and I said, 'OK, I'm ready to sign up,'' Lynch said. 'I went to the Air Force first and took a test, and they were like, 'Well, you're about three, four points away from the certain job we want.' I didn't care about which job, I just knew, 'I'm ready to go and I'm ready to help my country.' So, I went to the next door, and it was the Marine Corps.'
Lynch deployed to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, where she engaged in ground combat.
'I was there for six months and I was on the front line,' Lynch said. 'I drove everything — ammo, POWs, the food supplies … everything up to the front and back.'
Over half a million U.S. troops were sent to the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, less than 7 percent were women.
'There were 10 women in my unit, but only two of us went on the front line … only two,' Lynch said. 'But I knew I was there to serve and I had to give 100 percent. So, no matter what, I was ready to achieve something.'
Lynch has been called 'a pioneer for Black women in the Marines' — paving the way for the modern-day era of women warriors.
'I know everybody be saying the words 'trailblazer,' 'pioneer' and things like that, but just to go through it and to achieve it, it's an inner-body experience,' Lynch said. 'It's like, 'you went on the front line, you stayed on the front line … and you survived.''
In 2022, Lynch was one of 11 local veterans presented with long-awaited service medals and ribbons by Rep. Brian Higgins.
Lynch was awarded:
Combat Action Ribbon for active participation in ground combat during Operation Desert Storm during the period Jan. 17 – Feb. 28, 1991
Navy Unit Commendation awarded to a Marine Expeditionary Force for service during the period Aug. 14, 1990 – April 16, 1991
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with Three Bronze Campaign Stars
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with One Bronze Star
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Rifle Marksman Badge
Various other medals
'When Lynch joined, just 4 percent of all active U.S. military personnel were women,' Rep. Higgins said in his presentation. 'She is likely one of the first Black women from Western New York to serve in combat, and receive the Combat Action Ribbon while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.'
'People keep saying, 'the first of,' 'first of,' and it makes me sad,' Lynch said. 'This is 2025 and everybody's still saying 'the first of.' We should be the 100th person or something to do this or that, but I'm grateful.'
Lynch's final military stop was in Japan. Upon her return home, she was delivering mail for the U.S. Postal Service in Williamsville when she noticed something wrong. At 23 years old, cancer — soft tissue sarcoma — wrapped itself around the nerves in her left arm.
'I was about the youngest one at the VA that was going through something like that,' Lynch said. 'I ended up having to get 95 percent of my scapula removed, and they were going to amputate my arm.'
After a 'miracle surgery,' doctors saved her arm. Though it left her disabled, Lynch wasn't going to let that stop her from lending a helping hand. So, she set off on a journey of compassion.
'When I went through the good-old talking phone book, it was saying something about St. Augustine, and they had foster care and adoption and stuff like that,' Lynch said. 'So, I called them and said, 'Well, what are the requirements?' And when they told me, I said, 'Oh, I got plenty of love. So, yeah, I can do that. I can do it with no problem.''
Lynch took care of children, and along the way, she adopted children of her own — twin boys. Because they have several disabilities, raising them comes with many demands. But the moment they entered her life, Lynch was blessed.
'I love them, I really do. They overcame so many obstacles,' Lynch said. 'They have mild [mitral regurgitation], psychosis, intermittent explosive disorder and fetal alcoholism.'
In their name, Lynch founded the Bernard and Eric Resource Center. The mission is inspired by her daughter, Melany, whom she also adopted. The nonprofit supports young women who've aged out of the foster care system — giving them the tools to build a better future through housing assistance, financial literacy, job-readiness training, therapy sessions and more.
'Some of them become homeless. Some of them become involved in domestic violence. Some of them, sex trafficking,' Lynch said. 'A lot of them just be lost, period. They get on drugs, they – you know … it's just so many things because they don't have people that can tell them, 'I have your back.''
Charnaye Sanders is Lynch's sister. She explained how Lynch has helped many young women transition into independence with confidence and dignity by addressing immediate needs and long-term personal growth.
'Beyond basic services, [Lynch] fosters a sense of belonging through enriching activities like cultural outings, art workshops and holiday celebrations,' Sanders said. 'Very recently, she took a young woman shopping and was helping her just get some interview clothes so she can be interview-ready so she can get back into the field because she was homeless. This young woman now was able to find the resources through my sister to establish an apartment.'
Lynch has been in remission for 30 years. While living with the scars of combat, she's now on a different front: proudly fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves. It's a legacy to leave behind for her family, so when the call to serve rings, like Lynch, they answer.
'Just watching her still use that military strength to just be herself and be who she has given her life on the line to be — a person that is willing to give her all, and fight until she has no more fight in her left,' Sanders said. 'Even when she doesn't have any fight left in her, there's still just an ounce, and that can go a long way.'
'I gotta keep giving. When I said, 'Oh, I got love to give,' it was not just for my family. It is for everybody,' Lynch said. 'I'm 'Grateful Monica.' I feel really happy to have achieved anything, and this is really, very emotional for me.'
* * *
Jordan Norkus is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning anchor who has been with the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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