Jet Girl
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By John Waters
November 07, 2019
Jet Girl
Caroline Johnson
Have you read the book about the boy who packs his bags and heads off to war? It's a memoir, usually, a coming-of-age story about a kid from Anywhere, USA, someone willing to point his navigational beacon toward danger, then walk that thin, straight line through all the darkness and doubt he finds along his way. He'll have to face down some monsters. He'll have to look deep inside himself, too. But, no matter the odds he's up against, with only his inner strength to rely upon, our young hero will discover that he has what it takes to prevail, to accomplish the mission. By the time he reaches the end of the trail, that boy will have become a man, and he'll return to society a bit tired and weary because of his journey, but all the wiser for it.
This is a type of "Golden Fleece" narrative. The adventurer who leaves home in search of some treasure or prize to bring back to society, finding that he himself has changed along the way. For the post-9/11 generation, this is a uniquely military story, one that might be called a "soldier's education," or even a "story of courage, leadership, and brotherhood." And who's to say it's not one man's account of the "making of a Marine officer."
It is, predominantly, a man's military story. Until now.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/11/07/jet_girl_114834.html
