Episode 191: Woman in Command: Life in the Army
/“I was over-confident...I suddenly realized I had no idea what I was really doing when it came to leading men. Sandhurst gives you all the tools and the theories, but you have to go out there and earn the right to command. ”
Kelly on assignment in Afghanistan
In her early twenties, bored by her office job, Kelly joined the British Army for a life of adventure. This was just before 9/11. She’d grown up in a relatively conflict-free world. Suddenly everything changed.
Kelly spent almost 19 years in the Army doing multiple jobs in different parts of the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. She loved much of what Army life gave her. Other things were less appealing, from sexual harassment to fellow officers who couldn’t handle women in authority...to the loneliness of being a woman in command when one of your soldiers is killed.
In this show Kelly - who asked me not to use her last name so she could speak freely - looks back on her career, what she learned, and what she wishes could have been different in the ultimate male environment.
You can also read a transcript of the show.