Be All She Can Be

Be All She Can Be                                     By: Specialist Felicia Whatley

It’s becoming real. I flew in from Manchester, Connecticut all the way to Dallas, Texas because now it’s time.

This is going to be nothing like what I’ve trained for before. I’ve done a peace keeping Bosnian NATO Forces mission—where my rifle was like a hood ornament. In Bosnia, my weapon was a reminder of who we are, what did happen and what could happen again.

But now where I’m going…it is happening. I’m a female going to war with  Bravo Company 3^rd of the 144^th Infantry of the Texas Army National Guard. This is the first time in American history that women are being deployed with an infantry unit and the whole world is watching.

The need for more troops to implement security in Iraq has found a growing necessity for female soldiers because of the cultural sensitivities.  An Iraqi female can not be searched by a male soldier.

There are sixteen females integrating with almost 200 males. Many are volunteering from all over the U.S. and the great state of Texas to be a part of this mission.

           

Just yesterday we were clerks, medical supply, communication, transportation, mechanics, logistics, medics and public affairs. Now we are integrated into a combat arms company as infantrymen err, infantry women.

We are all overcoming obstacles getting use to the idea that there is a place for women in the infantry. At one time, infantry was an all “male club”. Infantry soldiers aren’t use to training and working alongside females in a combat zone. However, times are changing.

How we approach one another can sometimes be awkward. Many Army infantry cadences have become obsolete because of their sexual demeanor. It is an adjustment we have to make because of the professional working relationship environment.

A road march with the infantrymen entails for every one of their fastidious steps equals roughly three of our steps. So as the men step it out, we run to keep up while carrying anything from an M9 handgun, an M4 semi-automatic rifle, M203 (the classic M16 with a grenade launcher attached) or the heavier, high powered squad automatic weapon the M249 (SAW). 

The biggest threat is the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). They cause 80 percent of battlefield deaths, according to Fort Dix IED trainers. Convoy movements are often the most dangerous and costly of jobs, due to the likelihood of IED attacks.

As a mechanized infantry company, convoy movements are a part of our daily routine. We are learning how to clear supply routes of IEDs, small arms caches, and insurgents in order to move troops down routes with minimum risk.

Daily we train side by side learning new tactical movements. We are learning how to operate as gunners, drivers or assistant drivers on armed HUMMVEEs for convoy missions.

In addition we learn how to properly search a detainee, keeping in mind that even children can be combatants. Staying vigilant that an attack can happen anywhere—at the chow hall, at a security check point, or in our sleeping quarters is always in the back of our minds.

For the first time in my military career, I am learning how to defend myself with and without a weapon. Instead of the one day crash course in basic training, I am exposed to pressure points and proper grappling techniques weekly.

           

Discipline, integrity and fearless dedication are core. I have never met a more motivated bunch of Soldiers. They show day in and day out how badly they want to be here. For a dozen or so Soldiers, this is their second or third time they have volunteered for a mission to the Middle East. They love what they do and want to continue to serve their country doing what they do best.

           

When I joined the Army I never knew I would serve in this capacity. What attracted me to the Army were the core values, discipline and, most of all, the people. It takes a special person to give up his or her freedom and security to provide freedom and security for others.

               

I know my family doesn’t want me to go to Iraq. They wish their daughter had   chosen a safer path. I pray for their wisdom and the courage to do the right thing. How will I handle battle? I take their love and courage with me.

I am trying to be all I can be in the U.S. Infantry.