In this next "Womens' History Month" special (see here, here and here), I travel across the pond to sunny England for the story of a truly remarkable soldier in the British Army.(ATTN: Kings of War--why have you not posted about this?!)
Look out, IDF girls, you've got competition. Meet Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge, an Adjutant-General in the Royal Anglican Regiment. Joining the British Army on a dare, she reported for basic training in high heels, fake eyelashes and a pink suitcase. Although jokingly called "Combat Barbie", she quickly distinguished herself in Basra, Iraq in 2005 after her vehicle was involved in an accident. Hodge and her crew came to after rolling her vehicle three times, only to find that an Iraqi male had snatched two rifles from her truck. She quickly wrestled the Iraqi to the ground, saving the lives of her comrades, and earning her a medal for valor and a promotion to lance corporal.
Look out, IDF girls, you've got competition. Meet Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge, an Adjutant-General in the Royal Anglican Regiment. Joining the British Army on a dare, she reported for basic training in high heels, fake eyelashes and a pink suitcase. Although jokingly called "Combat Barbie", she quickly distinguished herself in Basra, Iraq in 2005 after her vehicle was involved in an accident. Hodge and her crew came to after rolling her vehicle three times, only to find that an Iraqi male had snatched two rifles from her truck. She quickly wrestled the Iraqi to the ground, saving the lives of her comrades, and earning her a medal for valor and a promotion to lance corporal.
Hodge received the title of "Miss England" after competing in a beauty pageant in 2009, after being signed by the lingerie company La Senza. Recently, Lance Corporal Hodge has been working with British clothing chains in order to offer discounts to British Soldiers (La Senza already offers 15% off).
When asked about her plans to stay in the army, Lance Corporal Hodge appears enthusiastic, even suggesting that she might do a full 22-year hitch in the service. However, the most salient point of her interview with the London Times is this quote:
[T]he lads at work always see me at my best: hair gelled back, covered in mud, falling over during a training exercise. Not very attractive.” Besides, “there’s so many lovely pretty girls in the army, I kind of go unnoticed. All of my friends are girlie. Most people have a stereotype about girls in the army, but I don’t want to comment on that because I don’t want to sound bad.
Kings of War, seriously, you are holding out on us.
Anyway, let's add Lance Corporal Hodge to the growing number of women who who have shown skill and courage in combat.
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