Team Xray
I find comfort in being alone. You could probably go as far as to even label me a loner. I'm definitely an introvert. And compared to my roommates, I was the most introverted of the group. We had the out-going easy to make friends personality, the momma bear type, the sister type and the "bad" attitude type. These were just outside perceptions of the females in the class. Because I got to know these women, I knew that a lot of what the rest of the class was getting was just their interpretation of us. If we didn't talk to someone or didn't smile, it was automatically assumed that either something was wrong or we just had an attitude problem. I hated how perception was taken as fact without much digging. If you didn't fit in the mold, you were the problem. You were what you appeared to be on the outside. Either you dealt with it, or you developed two different personalities (the one that people saw and the real you).
As a female, there are times where you may feel that you need to prove yourself more than your male counterparts; physically, intellectually and professionally. There are people that will look down on you until you have proved your worth to them. You had to show you're not the stereotypical female (hormonal, emotional, psychotic).
For women who decide to pursue a career in law enforcement, the goal is to be equal or superior to the males you are working with (at least in my opinion). The reason is to prove that you are more than capable of handling yourself in case a situation goes south. You do not want to become that "damsel in distress" cliche. The situation can easily become life or death.
While at the academy (the first time around), I met a group of amazing females. We created a bond almost instantly. It was noted by staff and the class behind us how close the female cadets of CTC I-16 were and I prided myself in that fact. I come from a military background, with 6 years as active duty Air Force and 4 years as an IMA reservist. I observed some things females in the military, same career field, even the same team do to each other and it is not often pretty. There can be serious backstabbing between females, which is why in the military you might notice that females tend to have a larger group of male friends vs female friends.
So, when I went to the academy, I did not know what to expect from the females I would be living with and was a little wary. But, I also wanted to make sure I put an all out attempt on comradeship with my two roommates and 3 other quad-mates. I'm normally a shy person and never the first to start a conversation. It would be different here. We had to work as a team.
When we got to our rooms that first night, I figured the situation warranted a change in my personality, and I introduced myself to my roommate (for the first couple of days, it was just the two of us). Not wanting to alienate ourselves from the other females, I went over to their room to break the ice. I figured we would be living with each other for 6 months so, the sooner we got to know each other, the better. From now on, I'll refer to my roommates as Hilton and Martinez and my 3 quad-mates as Sanchez, Italia and Jeter.
I found myself fortunate that there were only six of us in CTC I-16. It made bathroom time so much easier compared to what I experienced later on! As well as it probably being one of the reasons we got on so well together. Too many females made for too much drama. Considering our situation, we had it made. Even though we developed a bond with each other during our time there, I'm sure there were occasions where we probably annoyed the other. That's an expectation when you share small quarters with 5 other women.
After my time with CTC 1-16, I can say the best parts of it were when I was with those 5 women. When we conducted class as a whole instead of divided by companies or elements, we sought each other out. We were like magnets pulling towards each other. When we practiced scenarios, we practiced together. A lot of the guys liked to call us the X-ray flight or team Xray, since we were always together. When we had liberty on Wednesday nights (where we could leave the academy grounds for a few hours) we would go out together, with the exception of Italia. She took the free time to see her family since she lived close by. We didn't fault her for that since any one of us would do the same if we were in her shoes.
I remember the day I ended up leaving (I was the only one of the females to fail out). I was a big emotional mess. I hated to fail and that's what I did. All five of them were there to see me pack and offer words of encouragement. I hated that I was leaving, that I would not be part of the 6 to graduate after being so close to the end. I literally only had 3 weeks left before graduating. I had begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But instead, I cried while they watched. There was so much feeling of shame. I guess I wasn't cut out for the job. I figured it would be the last time I would ever see them again.
That day was my absolute worse. And they were there.
As a female, there are times where you may feel that you need to prove yourself more than your male counterparts; physically, intellectually and professionally. There are people that will look down on you until you have proved your worth to them. You had to show you're not the stereotypical female (hormonal, emotional, psychotic).
For women who decide to pursue a career in law enforcement, the goal is to be equal or superior to the males you are working with (at least in my opinion). The reason is to prove that you are more than capable of handling yourself in case a situation goes south. You do not want to become that "damsel in distress" cliche. The situation can easily become life or death.
While at the academy (the first time around), I met a group of amazing females. We created a bond almost instantly. It was noted by staff and the class behind us how close the female cadets of CTC I-16 were and I prided myself in that fact. I come from a military background, with 6 years as active duty Air Force and 4 years as an IMA reservist. I observed some things females in the military, same career field, even the same team do to each other and it is not often pretty. There can be serious backstabbing between females, which is why in the military you might notice that females tend to have a larger group of male friends vs female friends.
So, when I went to the academy, I did not know what to expect from the females I would be living with and was a little wary. But, I also wanted to make sure I put an all out attempt on comradeship with my two roommates and 3 other quad-mates. I'm normally a shy person and never the first to start a conversation. It would be different here. We had to work as a team.
When we got to our rooms that first night, I figured the situation warranted a change in my personality, and I introduced myself to my roommate (for the first couple of days, it was just the two of us). Not wanting to alienate ourselves from the other females, I went over to their room to break the ice. I figured we would be living with each other for 6 months so, the sooner we got to know each other, the better. From now on, I'll refer to my roommates as Hilton and Martinez and my 3 quad-mates as Sanchez, Italia and Jeter.
I found myself fortunate that there were only six of us in CTC I-16. It made bathroom time so much easier compared to what I experienced later on! As well as it probably being one of the reasons we got on so well together. Too many females made for too much drama. Considering our situation, we had it made. Even though we developed a bond with each other during our time there, I'm sure there were occasions where we probably annoyed the other. That's an expectation when you share small quarters with 5 other women.
After my time with CTC 1-16, I can say the best parts of it were when I was with those 5 women. When we conducted class as a whole instead of divided by companies or elements, we sought each other out. We were like magnets pulling towards each other. When we practiced scenarios, we practiced together. A lot of the guys liked to call us the X-ray flight or team Xray, since we were always together. When we had liberty on Wednesday nights (where we could leave the academy grounds for a few hours) we would go out together, with the exception of Italia. She took the free time to see her family since she lived close by. We didn't fault her for that since any one of us would do the same if we were in her shoes.
I remember the day I ended up leaving (I was the only one of the females to fail out). I was a big emotional mess. I hated to fail and that's what I did. All five of them were there to see me pack and offer words of encouragement. I hated that I was leaving, that I would not be part of the 6 to graduate after being so close to the end. I literally only had 3 weeks left before graduating. I had begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But instead, I cried while they watched. There was so much feeling of shame. I guess I wasn't cut out for the job. I figured it would be the last time I would ever see them again.
That day was my absolute worse. And they were there.
Comments
Post a Comment