11/11/2024
Today, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, I pause to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
When I joined the British Army, I did so in search of adventure. I vividly recall walking up the steps of Old College RMA Sandhurst on my first day in May 2003, with no idea of the journey that lay ahead. As a female officer, I was part of the 13% in the British Army. Alongside my male peers, I served as a General Duties Officer in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and later as a Physiotherapy Officer in Afghanistan.
My service at Headley Court marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to supporting individuals with life-changing injuries, but I’ve always hesitated to share my story as a Veteran Officer. Somehow, I feared that doing so might seem unfeminine. Society often portrays veterans as male, brave, and heroic soldiers, and when people discover I served, I default to humorous anecdotes about my femininity and lack of soldierly prowess.
It wasn’t until I heard Anna’s TED Talk a veteran a as d historian, that I understood this feeling. Ashleigh gave a voice to my fears: the sense that I didn’t fit the image of what a veteran “should” be. This feeling of not fitting in is, in many ways, similar to the experiences of those who’ve faced life-changing injuries—whether it’s a limb loss, disfigurement, or a changed body image. We are often seen as different, as if we don’t quite belong.
But today, for the first time since leaving the Army, I wore my medals with pride. I stood with my daughters and said, “I served.” Just as I hope those with life-changing injuries can stand proud of who they are and all they have achieved. We are all, in our own ways, imperfectly perfect.
www.strideforward.org.uk
