Shoot Like a Girl by Mary Jennings Hegar

Shoot Like a Girl by Mary Jennings Hegar

"A must-read about an American patriot whose courage and determination will have a lasting impact on the future of our Armed Forces and the nation."--Senator John McCain

On July 29, 2009, Air National Guard major Mary Jennings "MJ" Hegar was shot down while on a Medevac mission on her third tour in Afghanistan. Despite being wounded, she fought the enemy and saved the lives of her crew and their patients. But soon she would face a new battle: to give women who serve on the front lines the credit they deserve...
 
After being commissioned into the U.S. Air Force, MJ Hegar was selected for pilot training by the Air National Guard, finished at the top of her class, then served three tours in Afghanistan, flying combat search-and-rescue missions, culminating in a harrowing rescue attempt that would earn MJ the Purple Heart as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device.
 
But it was on American soil that Hegar would embark on her greatest challenge--to eliminate the military's Ground Combat Exclusion Policy, which kept female armed service members from officially serving in combat roles despite their long-standing record of doing so with honor.
 
In Shoot Like a Girl, MJ takes the reader on a dramatic journey through her military career: an inspiring, humorous, and thrilling true story of a brave, high-spirited, and unforgettable woman who has spent much of her life ready to sacrifice everything for her country, her fellow man, and her sense of justice.       


INCLUDES PHOTOS

Major Mary Jennings Hegar was commissioned into the Air Force through ROTC at the University of Texas in 1999. She was named one of Foreign Policy Magazine's 100 Outstanding Global Thinkers in 2013 and one of Newsweek's 125 Women of Influence in 2012. The Air National Guard selected her for pilot training in 2004. She served three tours in Afghanistan, flying combat search and rescue and medevac missions, after graduating at the top of her class. On July 29, 2009, while on her third deployment in Afghanistan, she was shot down during a medevac operation and received wounds for which she was awarded the Purple Heart. Her actions on this flight earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device for saving the lives of her crew and patients.

MJ and her family now reside in Austin. She continues to advocate for marginalized communities and to write and talk publicly about both her military experiences and her battle for greater military readiness through equality.