A pioneer woman during the Iraq War
It was 2003, and there weren’t that many Mikaela Faheys in the Army.
There were even fewer serving in the Middle East in combat support roles during the invasion of Iraq by a coalition led by the United States.
Fahey, now Mikaela Felcher, 43, grew up in Stoughton and now lives in Little Rock, Ark. She works in corporate security for Wal-Mart.
As Mikaela Fahey, she was a helicopter mechanic, part of a crew maintaining the Boeing CH-47 Chinook that played a vital role in the war effort.
Women would not be allowed on the front lines in combat situations until the Obama administration. When Mikaela served, they were relegated to support roles, and even there didn’t find much female company.
“There weren’t many of us in general, and few of us working on helicopters,” said Felcher, who served in the Army and National Guard from 1998-2021. “On a few occasions, some of my male superiors didn’t appreciate me doing the job. I felt I had to prove myself.”
But she did the work well, serving other tours in Kuwait in 2005-2006 and 2010-11. Along the way, she was pleased to see the increasing numbers of women along her near the front lines.
In more recent years, things changed even more.
“We were no longer alone and we were playing a larger role on the front lines,” she said. “I even had a few female friends in the infantry.”
According to a 2021 report released by the Department of Defense, in 2020 women made up 17.2 percent of active-duty soldiers, ranging from 8 percent in the Marines to 19 percent in the Air Force. That number has roughly doubled since Felcher first joined the Army in 1998.
The glass ceiling is crashing down. Air Force General Lori Robinson, for example, became the first woman to lead a combat unit when she took charge of the United States Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command in 2016.
“Seeing the changes through the years has been rewarding,” said Felcher. “As time has gone on, we’ve had more and more support and some outstanding female mentors in high places.”