The Strength of Women in War: Courage, Mercy, and the Fight for Peace

  My city was almost on the border with the aggressor country, so we knew we would be among the first to experience the war. I remember arguing with my mother for a long time because she insisted that I leave for a safer place, but I decided to stay in my hometown, so I convinced her to go alone. My father went to help the military, and then the only close family member left in the city was my grandmother. I was only 16 years old. I had never been away from my parents for long, let alone in such a terrifying situation as war. The only thing that comforted me at that time was that my mother was safe. But I was still very worried about my father, the remaining friends, and the fate of our city and country. The war began in February. The shelling, deaths, and fierce battles for our city lasted for a whole month. It was then that I was struck by the bravery and strength of the military women who fought alongside the men to protect us. I dare say that war for women is a place far more dangerous than for men. Women can face things that are scarier than death or battle wounds. Many initially did not take women soldiers seriously, belittled their achievements, and sometimes tried to sexualize their role in the army, but they still proved their bravery and strength every day. They fought on the front lines, pulled the wounded from the battlefield, and treated them in hospitals and medical units. I also knew that I had to do something. I wanted to help the military at the front, but I was not accepted because of my age. I was a student at a medical college, so I decided to at least help the wounded in the city. Despite all the efforts of our army, by the beginning of March, the city was captured by the enemy. Life during the occupation was difficult; we were cut off from the rest of the world: there was no electricity, water, or communication. Our military could no longer help us, and our survival now depended on us alone. Despite the aggression of our invaders, we often went to the city square with protests and fought them in any way we could. Among us were many women and girls who protected their families inside the city, although they were unarmed, except for their courage.

  Many women under occupation risked their lives by helping transmit important data to our military. They joined civil resistance organizations and performed tasks that men could not do, as the occupiers checked them more thoroughly than women.

  By November of that same year, our defenders, thanks to joint efforts, were able to liberate our city. I remember how the population that had survived the capture greeted them with tears of joy in their eyes. In June of the following year, the enemy army blew up a dam in the region of our city, and the rising water flooded a large part of it. Since many men were at the front, volunteer girls helped rescue people and animals from the flooded areas. Women showed incredible resilience and mercy, they tried to help everyone who could be saved. I personally remember an incident when one of the female volunteers dived under the flooded debris to rescue a drowning cat. Rescue operations lasted about a week and were complicated by constant shelling of the city. Despite the liberation, the enemy was still quite close to the city’s border, and they did everything they could to make life more difficult for the surviving residents. But thanks to the joint efforts of volunteers and ordinary, caring people, many lives were saved. I tried to provide medical assistance to the victims, and a few months later, I finally completed military training and wanted to do even more for my city, but as a result of one of the attacks I was injured and was forced to agree to be transported to a safer area.

  During the two years of war that I experienced there, I saw how attitudes towards female soldiers changed, from rejection at the beginning of the war to respect equal to that shown to male soldiers as the war continued. Despite the fact that the end of the war is not yet near, I believe that it is women who have made and will continue to make a significant contribution to peace by showing their example of courage and strength, defending themselves, their families and their land, while having mercy, without which peace in all its senses is impossible.