The Project

From across the Atlantic, Kelsey Bell, a US army soldier in training, gives us her opinion on The Hurt Locker, and tells us of her experiences.

The summer I was thirteen, I lived with an aunt and uncle, both of whom are soldiers: she’s an army nurse, he’s a helicopter pilot. While with them in Colorado, they gave me an unofficial tour of the Air Force Academy. I was as enthralled as any kid could be with the pomp and circumstance of military drill and ceremony. The young men and women I saw on campus and parade grounds were not much older than I was, and I wanted to be just like them: tall, strong and proud. I was going to be an officer one day and, for Christmas, I received a book about a girl who attends the Military Academy at West Point. I identified strongly with the main character, but not for long.

The next year, I attended a school where I was the only student who came from a military family. Like my aunt and uncle, my father is a career Army officer, but when he went into the reserve forces, our family easily assimilated into the civilian lifestyle.

That changed when my father was deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was 2005 and I was sixteen. By that time, my attitude towards the military had evolved quite dramatically. I was no longer the naïve girl impressed with smart looking uniforms and loud jets soaring through crystal clear skies towards a nearby base. Instead, I was angry at the politics and policy of my government. I saw the United States and British coalition as many others did: an imperialistic force that was bypassing diplomacy and ignoring the more pressing humanitarian issues.

I chose to pursue political science at university, and was still fairly liberal in my social ideologies. However, perhaps more so than most, I struggled with the direction I was taking in school. I was having a difficult time balancing my social and academic lives, and often felt isolated and unmotivated. I had always been an active individual, but for some reason, college life was draining my spirits. In an effort to cheer me up - or, more likely, to act like the father I had never really known when I was younger - my dad took me to South Korea with him, where he was stationed in 2008. Whilst in Korea, I got a chance to see the life of a soldier from the perspective of an adult. Much of the glamour I had once so admired was no longer there, but in its place, I observed the fraternity and work ethic I was desperately lacking at university.

I entertained the idea of joining, only after a certain soldier I met that summer broke my heart. A female soldier saw me crying outside of the barracks soon after the incident, and suggested I "earn some self respect" by going into the Army myself. The concept seemed like a breath of fresh air: a chance to break away from the stagnancy of university. At first it was just a bid for independence, a "quick fix" solution to ascertain a sense of self and intestinal fortitude.

After the initial glow of the catalyst wore off, I realised this had to be a careful decision, not to be made on a whim, because of some boy. Immediately after returning to the States, I made several phone calls and, after several long discussions with both of my parents, enrolled in my university’s Officer Training program (ROTC). I did so at first without any commitment, to see if it was something I really wanted to pursue. After a month-long training iteration at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, I realized it was a sacrifice worth making.

The program awards full academic scholarships for competitive cadets, as well as a monthly allowance and book stipend. The initial service requirement is four years, but can be extended voluntarily to career status. I have continued my studies in political science and, upon graduation in 2011, will commission as a Second Lieutenant. From my perspective, the guaranteed job placement and unbeatable financial aid for my education was well worth a couple of years in uniform, even as I realise the reality of deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. A year ago, I had no idea what I would be doing after graduation. Now I intend to pursue military intelligence or communications, and know I have unparalleled training and travel opportunities to look forward to.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t trying to prove something by joining the Army. I am, as are many others who choose this path, especially women. Females are still in the minority, making up less than 14% of the armed forces. But, for many of us, this is an opportunity to be seen as competent individuals without regard to our gender. At the end of the day, we only want to be part of the greater effort for good and grow as leaders - ones who both command and earn respect.