Never be Weak, Never Back Down - Part Three

PART THREE

     I asked Deanna how much of a problem being a woman in a world of fighting men was for her. “Well, there’s always initial skepticism. But once they get to know me, there’s never been a problem. My behavior generally influences those around me eventually. Never be weak, never back down, and never, but never, say, Can you carry this for me?” And, I’m sure, always use that gruff business voice I heard on the phone, though she never mentioned that.  She also mentioned that readily being willing to jump out of a plane helped a lot. The vet who previously held her position in her division was a woman who would not. She was transferred.

     Deanna’s team Sargent was with the Special Forces, a Green Beret. He initially took her out to test her. They put on packs equal to one third of their body weight or 50 pounds, whichever is greater, and he took her out on a forced hike for 12 miles in less than the cutoff point time of four hours. He then gave her a compass and a map to prove she could master land navigation. After additional testing, she proved herself to Sargent Foster. They remained close friends throughout their careers, and are still face book buddies today.

     After five months in Haiti, she came home. She found her vet position had been done away with, and she was assigned to the only airborne vet attachment, the 248^th. (The only one that jumps out of planes.)  She moved to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Her main function was hurricane relief, and she led a team into the Virgin Islands in that capacity.

     Her officer suggested she put in for a year in Korea, which would be a good career move, though she would have to leave husband Keith. That was a bummer, but she grudgingly put in for Korea.

     While she was preparing for Korea, things were changing. Rules were changing regarding women in the Special Forces. The Special Forces had never had a woman attached. They decided to add a vet. Some of them remembered Deanna from Haiti, knew she had proven herself there. The general feeling seemed to be, “we’ll eventually have a woman in this group, so we want one that won’t embarrass us.”

    So, Deanna became the first woman ever attached to the Special Forces. The Third Special Forces Group. Soon after, her boss, (and friend) was hit by a helicopter prop in training and killed.

     The Fifth Special Forces Group had projects planned in the Horn of Africa. They would go in, work with the locals to help train them in fighting and helping with their needs. The population is very agriculture oriented. They needed a vet. They needed Deanna.  Her first mission was to Eritrea, a mixture of Christians and Moslem villages. The villages were permanent, not nomadic.  They are much like Ethiopians, and right on the Red Sea. There are two ports on the Red Sea that could become militarily important some day. This mission was humanitarian, and hopefully would help win their hearts and their good will. Their country has only been independent for six years, and they badly needed vet and medical assistance. They have very nasty diseases in their flocks, preventable by vaccination.  They began a vaccination campaign for Tecti Petit Ruminants.  It’s similar to dog distemper. Deanna was able to obtain the vaccine in Kenya. Her and five Special Forces men traveled to a different village each day in a Land Rover, and worked long, very hard days. They eventually vaccinated 140,000 of their sheep and goats. Each day, the village threw a big celebration at the end of the day, killing and roasting a goat, though they were very poor. Those people loved to see them coming. A very rewarding experience for Deanna and the men!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

     Occasionally, they would go to a village where no, or very few, animals appeared. They would eventually learn that most all of the animals were killed the year before by the disease in a major outbreak, and only the ones that were naturally immune survived. If those immune stragglers came in, they were vaccinated anyway. The locals just felt better about it.

     These People are very hard, and very hard working people. They have to travel for great distances to reach a water well. Bad water kills many people in East Africa. After two months, her team returned to Ft. Bragg.