Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a seven-part series about student veteran issues. Please check this page on Fridays for more guest columns from student veterans and their supporters.

Life in the Navy was an experience that changed my life. When I look back on my career as a Navy Corpsman, I can recall countless friendships and opportunities to refine leadership skills. Navy Corpsman are the United States Navy’s medical personnel, who are in charge of ensuring every service member is healthy and medically fit for combat deployment.

A corpsman may serve as either a Navy Corpsman stationed with Navy commands, or Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Corpsman attached to Marine units. A Corpsman can be found in a military clinic, battle-ready ship or alongside our brave Marines in the field.

Fortunately, I was stationed with the Marine Corps Air Wing as an FMF Corpsman and had the opportunity to fight for my country in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As an FMF Corpsman, I was first trained in basic medical care and then sent to a specialty school which trained me in Tactical Combat Casualty Care, emergency medical skills and basic Marine Corps training.

The Navy was just like a regular job. It had a hierarchical rank system, rules, institutional values, work uniform and the opportunity to progress up the ranks. I couldn’t complain. I was given housing and food allowances, free medical and dental, and a base pay, which afforded me a comfortable living.

Being a female corpsman in a Marine unit wasn’t easy though. Trying to make a stand and earn respect as a woman in a male-dominated institution proved to be a difficult task. The usual gender distribution in the average workspace is approximately one woman to every 50 men. In mine, I was the only woman in a platoon of 45 Marines.

As a corpsman, I had to be ready to respond to anything, and I couldn’t afford to lean on my gender as a crutch.

If I wanted to be in this line of work, I had to toughen up and be prepared. A female combat corpsman would have to be able to haul an injured Marine in full gear out of a dangerous situation. To complete those tasks, I had to ensure that my physical conditioning was high and intense.

The average male weighs 180 pounds. Now add on approximately 80 to 100 pounds of their gear and then 80 to 100 pounds of your own gear, and you have a near impossible task ahead of you.

Luckily, biologically, our bodies find the motivation and strength to pull our buddies out of harm’s way. I was fortunate enough, though, when I was deployed to Iraq with Marine Wing Support Squadron 273’s Incident Response Platoon not to have to respond to any combat casualties.

I loved every minute of being a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman! Now that I am out of the military and attending the University, all the skills and experiences I have acquired have helped me greatly in many ways.

Elizabeth Ambros is a sophomore in AHS.