Serial No. 3817131 (A photographic essay of women in the IDF)

http://www.rachelpapo.com/ ^ | 2005 | Rachel Papo

[FreedomCalls]

The life of an eighteen-year-old girl in Israel is interrupted when she is plucked out of her environment at an age when sexual, educational, and family values are at their highest exploration point. She is then placed in a rigorous institution, where individuality becomes a secondary matter, making room for nationalism. “I solemnly swear…to devote all of my strength and to sacrifice my life to protect the land and the liberty of Israel,” repeats the newly recruited soldier during her swearing-in ceremony. She enters the two-year period in which she will change from a girl to a woman, a teenager to an adult, all under a militaristic, masculine environment, and in the confines of an army that is engaged in daily war and conflict.

I decided to portray female soldiers in Israel during their mandatory military service as a way for me to revisit my own experience. I served as a photographer in the Israeli Air Force between 1988-1990. It was a period marked by continuous depression and extreme loneliness, and at the time I was too young to understand these emotions. Through a series of images showing female soldiers in army bases and outside, individually or in groups, I attempt to reveal a facet of this experience that is generally overlooked by the global community.

~Excerpted

[SaltyJoe]

Why do the tomboy and tough girl have so much appeal to guys?
I suppose it reminds us of how, as a child,
our mother could scoop us off our feet a 100 times a day
and tickle us against our will
and even catch if we tried to run away.

I never thought that O.D. green could look so feminine.






I've very thankful that G-d created me in His image, but I'm even more thankful for His creating Woman.















Here eye's look like this when she's shooting a rifle too.






Little known fact that the IDF also has an
underground female break dancing team...undefeated record in every championship by the way.















I wonder if she like big hair rock bands from the 80s?

Finders keepers?

[SaltyJoe]

The secret is out...



Beauty tips from the women of the IDF

[litehaus]

Don't mess with TEXAS?....Make that ISRAEL!

[SaltyJoe]

Eye liner cuts down on sun glare when your sighting in your rifle. Football players use the same technique, but put it on their upper cheeks. It's obvious from the photo that this young lady must be going to the range for more shooting practice.

[stm]

They're cute, even covered with mud!

I smell a calendar in the making...."Girls of the IDF"!!!!

[SaltyJoe]

HOLY SMOKES, look at the pipes on these pythons!



USMC, less we forget our loyalty.

[SaltyJoe]

This is a VERY bad hair day.

[SaltyJoe]

Maybe it's just a guy thing, but if I were to be shot...accidentally of course...then I'd find it easer forgiving her if she were the shooter.

[ccmay]

Well done everybody. My favorite thread of the week.

I have been a fan of the female sabra soldiers ever since reading a couple of Leon Uris novels as a kid.

God help us if we ever betray these magnificent people to the bloodthirsty swine who surround them.

-ccm

[Richard Kimball]

She scares me. In one photo, she's got the rifle pointing at her foot, in the other, at the camera. Texas girls don't do that.

[dougmilner]

That's why hydrogen peroxide was invented!

Here's a whole gaggle of them:

Personally - I hate bottled blondes. I prefer real women who look natural. Natural boobs, hair, skin,... but I guess I'm in the minority around here. The woman in that picture are beautiful and courageous - and they'll never be Pamela Anderson - which is a good thing.

[Toby06]

American chicks aren't too fugly: ( i like the flying type, too!)

[dougmilner]

Those look like nice young woman.
A conservative gentleman should be happy to date/marry a nice gal like that.

[albyjimc2]

All I can say is wow. "Um, I'll trade you 5 Army females for 1 of yours...." I'm only kidding! I guess that's another reason why women cannot serve in infantry or artillery (combat) units. Distractions in wartime would not be good!

I work in Iraq right now, and I will say, I have not seen women this good looking since I went home 7 months ago!

I saw a comment about uniformity, and yes, I agree. They definately would not get away with that in the US military! Strange how all ex military notice these things until the day they die!