A blog of a female soldier who enrolls into the army and gets sent to Iraq's battlefield.

1. A Soldier’s Life: My Life Shane McClure Maida Ahmad

2. My name is Shane McClure and I am a woman. I feel it necessary to state the last part. I remember the day I came to the recruiter’s office to sign up. “Shane McClure’s my name.” I said, a little hesitatingly. The man in the uniform, I planned on wearing one day, looked up, curious, and stared at the torn hat I wore over my short and cropped hair. “There’s not a lot of women that enroll, are all your other options not working out?” He asked with a grin on his face. I knew he was mocking me but I told myself I wouldn’t let that bother me. “Actually, this is my first option sir.” I replied with complete confidence. This was the first day of a journey I didn’t know could change my life so dramatically. The Beginning of the End

3. Why am I joining the army? Some people join because they want to get away from their family. Some people do it for the feeling of pride. Some people just want a new and fresh start. Some people don’t have grades that are good enough to get them into a decent college. Some people just want more freedom and independence. Some people want to pay back their country for giving them safety. None of those reasons explain why I joined. In fact, I joined because I wanted to prove everybody wrong. “You couldn’t last a day in the army.” My older brother told me everyday. He had been in the army and gone to Iraq, so he knew what he was talking about. “Yes I can. Watch me.” The words frightened me. Spreading the News

5. Sexual Harassment Training

6. Basic Training

7. Advanced Training

8. Drill Training

9. Annual Training

10. Pre-Deployment Training

11. Weapon Training

12. Cultural Classes

13. Law Classes

14. Operational Training

15. Control Classes

16. First AidIt took quite long, but at the end of it all, I felt like a new woman. I was in the same sectors as the men and we were doing the same things. I felt like an equal, but also an individual. Preparation for Hell

17. My plane landed in Iraq and I got off. A general was supposed to come find me. I looked around, the bags in my hands getting heavier by the second. Finally, I saw the sign that read “Shane McClure: US Army” I came to the man who didn’t seem to be any older than me. “I’m Shane McClure.” And I saluted him just like I had been taught. He looked at me as if I was weak and then saluted me back. He took me to the general who was in charge of my division on the war zone. Yes, that’s right. I was going to be on the war zone. I received my weapons, equipment, and orders. I looked at the gun in my hand and thought, “What am I doing?” Was I regretting this whole decision? No. Was I frightened? Yes. Into the War Zone

18. It was a tough day. I spent my whole day on the battlefield. I thought about how I was blessed to be alive. I had only been here a day and I had already made so many friends. Catherine Jones. She was a lot older than me. Since I was only 20, she was 44 years old. She had been here a long time and seen a lot of things. “Equality. This is the one place I’ve never seen it. Men are inferior and always will be. I don’t see how you honestly believe that you can change that. Good luck though, you’ll need it.” As these words came out of her mouth, the tension in my muscles built. A Companion

19. It happened to me today. I went outside to the bathrooms. I was sitting on the toilet when I heard a group of men. “One of them is in there!” a deep, rough voice yelled. The minute I heard them, I jumped up and threw on my pants. At that very moment, 3 men with shirts that said “ARMY” across them ran in. They saw me and burst out laughing. I looked down and noticed I only had my underwear on and my pants were only half buttoned. “Get the hell out of here!” I yelled. I quickly put on my clothes and ran for the officer’s quarters. Embarrassment

20. “This is the army, sweetheart. There is no equality. Just stay alive and that’s all we need.” I had just sprinted all the way here and I couldn’t believe what was coming out of his mouth. Of course I couldn’t say anything, him being a higher rank than me and everything. So I just stood there, speechless and useless. “Sir, we are all part of the army. We all deserve respect. I don’t mean any disrespect, but I don’t see this happening to any of the men here.” He just stared at me, amused. I saluted him and walked away. Inability

21. I had talked to some of the women soldiers and the same thing had happened to them multiple times. One of them told me that the men believed they were here for status and that they didn’t think us women could stay alive here any longer than they could. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to prove them wrong now.” “It’s easier said than done,” Catherine Jones replied. Tomorrow, we’re going out to the battlefield. I am one of two women in my group of 9 people. I am worried for what can happen. A Nervous Wreck

22. I had my gun in my hand along with my uniform on. I felt heavy, both physically and mentally. The man that had come into the bathroom was in my group. He wore a smirk on his face when he saw me. Along with him, another woman was in my group. She was a lot taller than me and had bright red hair. The rest of the group consisted of all men. We received our orders and headed out. This Means War

23. It started off just like I imagined. A lot of running, panicking, and sounds of explosions. I had an eye shield on, yet all I saw was dirt and sand in the air. I wanted to throw my gun on the ground and run home. My beautiful mother. I thought about her now in my time of need. I regret yelling at her for getting on to me for small things. I regret thinking she didn’t care because she was out busy working all the time. All the things she did were only done out of love for me. Now what if I died right at this moment? I wonder who would miss me. Who would cry? Would anyone try to get me to a hospital after seeing that I am a female? Who would come to my funeral? I looked around and realized that I had run away from my group. Flashback

24. I tried getting everything through my head. I was now alone. I could still here the gunshots and bombs exploding though. What was I supposed to do? All of a sudden, there was a large blast close by that startled me. I turned to my right to see flames flying into the air ferociously. I took two steps forwards and one step back. What if there was someone there that was watching me right now? Maybe he was waiting for me to approach just so he could shoot my head off too. I thought about my options, but I couldn’t help thinking if someone had gotten hurt. Without thinking, I shut down my mind. No more thinking. Just do it. I thought this over and over again. I walked toward the fire. A Heart of Gold

25. I was sprinting to the fire to check if anybody from my team was hurt. What I saw blew my mind. The man from the bathroom had been shot in the leg and was lying on the ground, about to slip into unconsciousness. “I was going to shoot the man who threw the bomb here, but he shot me. He was too quick.” He told me in short breaths, gripping his leg with extreme force. I used my First Aid training to see what all was wrong. It seemed to be only his wounded leg. “Just help me up, and I’ll walk back. I saw a safety shelter about a mile down.” He told me this as if he thought he was the strongest person on the planet. “No, you can’t. You’re just setting yourself up to die. I know what to do.” At least, I hoped I did. Changing Chance

26. I put one arm around his legs and the other around his back and picked him up. I had figured that he was pretty skinny and couldn’t possibly be too heavy for me. I lifted as hard as I could, but his equipment was holding him down. I ignored his protests and took off the heavy bag he had on. I lifted him again and finally rose. “Stop, I can do it by myself!” He was yelling and trying to get out of my hold. “Can you just shut up and let me keep you alive?” That made him be quiet. He was getting heavier for me by every second, so I ran as fast as I could in the direction he pointed to. Here I was, a grown woman in a battlefield in Iraq, carrying a grown man with a gun shot in his leg. All I’ve Got

27. 1 mile. I had to walk one mile, carrying him. I honestly thought I was about to pass out. I finally made it to the safety shelter and I was drenched in sweat. His face was changing constantly throughout the whole journey here. At first, he was angry and frustrated that I was carrying me. Afterwards, he was confused about what was happening and why I was doing this. Lastly, his face was apologetic and full of respect for me. Now I lied him on one of the flat surfaces. He was now unconscious. Unconscious

28. Shortly after I had gotten to the safety shelter, another soldier that was highly trained in First Aid took over. The man was later admitted into the Veterans Hospital. I had come to visit him for the first time since I had last seen him unconscious in my arms. I looked at him now on the hospital bed. I noticed the jacket next to him that said he was a general, two rankings ahead of me. His name was John Williams. He was lying with his leg on a sling and he looked highly uncomfortable. “How are you doing?” I had asked with hesitation, realizing there was still tension between us. “A lot better, thanks to you.” He looked at me and smiled. After some talk, I was about to leave when he stopped me. “I’m sorry,” he said. And then he saluted me. Victory is Mine