Rockwall, TX (December 30, 2024) – Prior to becoming County Judge in 2011, I wrote a weekly article for this newspaper titled “The Military View”. These articles focused on local men and women from our area who were serving in one of our armed forces. Most of the articles discussed these individuals and what was happening in the ongoing actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
One such article was about a young lady from our area, Jennifer Baker. Her story is a good example of women serving in the armed forces.
I first met Jennifer prior to her actually entering the US Army. She was just preparing to start her basic training and then her advance training for her initial job in the Army. She did not have an actual assignment after the completion of her schooling.
The next time I saw her, she was home in Rockwall mid-way through her one-year tour of duty in Iraq. She told me how she was assigned to the 504th Infantry Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. She also told me about having nine parachute jumps to her credit and how she was with a real fighting unit – the 82nd Airborne Division.
Going on about her duty station, she related how she was one of about 80 soldiers who were assigned to a combat outpost located about 400 kilometers south of Baghdad close to the main supply route from Kuwait up to Baghdad.
She and her fellow soldiers had the responsibility for patrolling throughout the area adjacent to their location as well as working with elements of the Iraq Army as they manned checkpoints along the supply route.
Of the 80 soldiers at the outpost, five were women. I asked her about her living conditions and what it was like being in the middle of a war surrounded by a bunch of hard charging young male warriors.
She related how all of the soldiers lived in trailers which had been placed inside the concrete walls of the outpost. All five of the women lived in the same trailer.
All of the soldiers used a shared latrine (bathroom) with stalls and urinals. The shower facility was a trailer that had been divided into shower stalls where the soldier could lock the door while a shower is being taken.
The facility had a clothes washer and dryer, so Jennifer says there is no problem with clean clothes.
She went on to say that the Army provided each soldier with several different sets of combat uniforms. Additionally, each week personal hygiene items were sent to the outpost for each soldier.
There were two cooks assigned at their location, and she said they have two options when it comes to eating; “You either eat what they prepare…or you don’t eat”!!
While there is no Post Exchange (PX) available to buy things, Jennifer said that many, many care packages from different organizations back in the States (DVD’s, CD’s, video games, snacks, etc.) are in plentiful supply.
She said the heat was really hard to get used to during the Iraqi summer where temperatures of 120 degrees were common.
She also made a point of saying her officers were really good, and she had no regrets about joining the Army or about being in Iraq.
Once her leave was up, it was a flight from DFW to Germany and then on to Kuwait. From there it was a C-130 back into Iraq and then to her duty station.
Here is a perfect example of how both men and women can serve together in combat. When you see someone in the uniform of one of our military services, please tell them thank you for their service.
Jerry Hogan is a former Rockwall County Judge and a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel. He can be reached at 214-394-4033 or jerryhogan@sbcglobal.net
A Broad View by Jerry Hogan: A Local Woman in Combat added by Melanie M on
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