Soldier From Michigan Embraces Change in Second Iraq Tour (U.S. Army Spc. Mollie Bixler)

Defense News ^ | Sgt. 1st Class Robert Timmons

[SandRat]

Spc. Mollie Bixler, a cook assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, poses in front of a flag at the unit’s headquarters building at Forward Operating Base Falcon, Aug. 30, 2007. Bixler is the only female in the battalion’s tactical operations center. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Timmons

U.S. Army Spc. Mollie Bixler

Soldier From Michigan Embraces Change in Second Iraq Tour

By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Timmons 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.1st Infantry Division CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, Sept. 6, 2007 — Being a cook in a unit instead of soldiering is difficult enough. It’s equally as hard being a female in the all-boy’s club that most civilians associate with the infantry. For Army Spc. Mollie Bixler, who works in the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment’s Tactical Operations Center at Forward Operating Base Falcon in southern Baghdad, both are true, but not as troublesome to her as some may think. She has been through a lot of changes in her 4½ year Army career. “It is a very big change,” the Grand Rapids, Mich., native said. “It is a lot different than what I am used to.” The 24-year-old cook, who is on her second tour in Iraq, said she thought she would go to the battalion’s forward support company but instead was sent to work on computers in the tactical operations center (TOC). “I am not computer literate,” she said. “I got to work it out. Fortunately the guys here were real patient with me. I had done some command post work at Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah.”             She has a strong work ethic, according to her boss.             “She is very good,” said Staff Sgt. Alan Prater, an infantryman and the 2-12’s assistant operations noncommissioned officer, who hails from Sepulpa, Okla. “She was out of her place when she got here and knew nothing about TOCs, but she has learned and really well. In fact, she works harder than my infantry guys,” he added with a laugh. Even though she is in a predominately high-testosterone field, she was welcomed by everyone she works with. “It’s unique and awesome” to work in the infantry unit, she said. “I am treated like a little sister by some and a big sister by others. From the very beginning they were very protective of me and took care of me like one of their own.”

Even though they welcomed her with open arms, Bixler said she still worked hard to gain their trust. “It’s a battle you have with yourself,” she said. “You want it so bad you work hard to be treated like an equal. And I am treated like an equal, but I still do everything I can to keep up.” Working in different environments is nothing new to Bixler. During her first time in Iraq, she was assigned to the 18th Personnel Support Group at Camp Anaconda. “It was definitely different than here,” she said about spending a year at the base dubbed ‘Mortaritaville.’ “It was kind of dull but we got lots of mortars and were hit quite a bit, but it was much larger base. “I was kind of worried about Falcon, because I heard it was not a very good place,” she added saying that it wasn’t as bad as she thought.   Bixler added that Anaconda, because of its size and amenities, had more to offer soldiers. Despite being the only female in an office full of males, she looks forward to the time she can go outside the wire and be taken deeper into the fraternity of combat arms with a unit that is, “a lot closer than I have ever seen before.” “I know I am going out,” she said with a smile. “I am looking forward to it. They are like my little brothers, anything I don’t know I know they will teach me.” Bixler, who recently re-enlisted, will see even more changes in the coming days as she prepares to join the NCO Corps. The 2-12 is part of 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division based at Fort Carson, Colo. and is attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kan.

[SandRat]

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[AprilfromTexas]

Best of luck to all of our soldiers, they make me proud to be an American.

“Mortaritaville”...LOL!

[ODC-GIRL]

Good for her! I know what she’s going through. I went through the same thing (albeit not in a combat zone) 27 years ago when I entered the Air National Guard doing a Command Post job with mostly men. Worked really hard to earn their respect and now I’m the boss. If she keeps it up, she can go far.

[do the dhue]