A Woman in the Military
Girls Need Not Apply, by Kelly S. Thompson
The dedication in this memoir — Girls Need Not apply: Field Notes from the Forces, by Kelly S. Thompson — reads:
…to the women who see themselves in these pages. Change is coming.
From the opening pages, in which Thompson speaks of going to early training in Quebec, and coming from four generations of family in the Canadian military, to the closing pages, this story had me. Thompson sustains an injury that is treated improperly, and seriously impacts her career. Ultimately, she does have to walk away, but it seems that life in the forces pulses in a most cellular way after generations.
It has in fact been a few months since I read, and still the story and words stay with me, making me aware — again — of how women push and cross and dismantle lines. It has been such an historical process to create Change…and alas, the need to push on for change continues. But Thompson’s tone is always hope-filled.
The reaches of 9/11
The events of 9/11 so impacted Thompson as a young person, that she determined to carry on with the family legacy. But she was the first in her family to choose the air force and also the first woman to join. She is inspiring. I was…
