Toughing it Out in the Military as a Female

I served eight years in the Active duty Army. Believe me, it is different for a female to serve in the United States Army or any branch of service. Although everyone is supposed to be equal, we are treated as outcasts. In basic training, we are all called soldiers. However, we are singled out and the drill sergeants always point out by calling us "females."

It is different for females starting off at boot camp. We have different standards for our physical fitness test. Our times for our 2 mile run, amount of pushups, and the amount of sit-ups we have to do to meet standard is way lower than the male's standards. The male drill sergeants are afraid to speak to the females because they are afraid of getting in trouble for mistreating them. Even the female drill sergeants are a lot tougher on the females.

Once we finally graduate from basic training we move on to another duty station to learn our job by going to classes. This place is called Advanced Individual Training. At this site we still have drill sergeants and are still treated differently than our male counterparts. We are able to go to class with the male soldiers but our living quarters are separated and we have a curfew. We also have to be in buddy groups with another female while the males didn't have to.

After Advanced Individual Training is permanent party. This is actually our first duty assignment where we have our freedom from drill sergeants and report to our Non Commissioned Officers (NCO's). Even here females are still treated differently. The male NCO's aren't allowed to address a female soldier without a female NCO being present. This is said to be for the protection of the male NCO because their has been too many reports of sexual harassment.

Once you report to your first duty assignment for a few years you are known as a private. This is the bottom the food chain in the military. Until you can show that you are responsible enough to become an NCO, your supervisors won't recommend you for promotion. However, once you prove yourself you are sent to your first leadership school. This school is called PLDC(Primary Leadership development Course). This course teaches you how to become a leader and take care of your soldiers.

Even at PLDC, females are outnumbered. I remember when I went to PLDC; there were 64 males and only 6 of us females that attended. You could imagine how intimated I was. The male students wouldn't even talk to us until they realized that we were there for the same reason they were. The reason was to get promoted and to become a good leader. In the end, all of us females graduated from PLDC with flying colors.

My second leadership school before I got out of the service is called BNCOC(Basic Non Commissioned Officers Course). This is the second course in the NCO chain. In this course, once again there were over 60 males and this time only 4 females in the whole course. I was intimated once again but proved myself and made it through successfully.

After each course, I returned to my home station and got promoted and became a good leader. However, in the back of my head I always remembered how different it was for me to get to where I was able to be successful. I taught my female soldiers to be strong and not to let the little things bother them. I learned that in the service that a female has to be tough and strong to make it through. That is the philosophy that got me through eight years of military service.