Answered • The Havok Journal

by M.B.

1. No. I was not raped. The “statistic” that 1 in 3 women in the military was raped is absolute BULLSHIT. Oh, and more men are raped than women. And don’t worry about me getting raped if a POW. That’s not your concern and in case you didn’t know, the boys are more likely to be ass-raped than we are in the current choice destination spots we are deployed to…

2. No. I’m not a man-hater nor do I have “daddy issues.” Only someone with mommy issues would come up with that shit about a stranger.

3. No. I’m not a lesbian but if it salves your male pride to think so and it saves me from having to deal with your subsequent shitiness, think it so we can get back to the mission. Oh and check Instagram for your photo – #byefelipe

4. No. I’m not admin… or a nurse… or a medic… or an analyst… or at all interested in wasting my time trying to introduce you to the 21st Century.

5. Yes. Your taxes pay for my birth control and Plan B aka “the morning after pill.” Yes, I still menstruate and yes, they issue me a gun. Sometimes even, I’m a .50 cal gunner. And, yes, you should keep your politics and curiosity out of my vagina.

6. Yes. I’ve been in combat and no, I don’t want to tell you about what it was like being a woman in combat. I was too busy being a Soldier in combat.

7. No. the book Ashley’s War is not representative of me. Many women paved the way for those girls and did the same job but without the extra training and the high-speed name. If you want to live vicariously through us, then read books by women who were there before. All of them.

8. No. We do not want physical standards (or any other standards) lowered. We want them raised.

9. Yes. Women want to serve and die for their country. Yes, we knew we might have to kill people. Yes, we knew we could get raped and even beheaded. Yes, we also like catching bad guys and blowing shit up. No way in hell we were sitting at home and letting the boys have all the fun.

10. Yes. I am a badass. Yes, I am intimidating. Yes, I am single by choice… or married to an amazingly supportive man. No, I will not have your babies. I only mate with alpha males and if you were one, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Now, any more questions?

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This first appeared in The Havok Journal on November 4, 2015.