This is not an accident. It is a choice. Every budget that underfunds body armor for women, every commanding officer who dismisses a rape report, every general who says “we need more data” — they are choosing to continue the betrayal.
When she returns home, the lousy deal continues. The VA and equivalent systems in other countries are slow to recognize service‑connected conditions unique to women: endometriosis worsened by heavy lifting, pelvic floor injuries from improvised explosive device blasts, and hormonal disruptions from toxic burn pits. A 2019 report found that female veterans wait for disability claims than males — time she cannot afford, often working two civilian jobs while battling PTSD. The Lousy Deal #6: The Top’s Hypocrisy – “We Support Our Women” Then Nothing Changes Every year, the top generals and ministers of defense give speeches on International Women’s Day. They pose for photos with young female soldiers. They announce new “initiatives.” Then the budget requests come out: pennies for sexual assault prevention, millions for new jets. 18 female war lousy deal top
Even body heat regulation fails them. Female metabolic rates differ, yet sleeping bags and cold‑weather gear are calibrated for men. In Norway’s cold‑weather exercises, female conscripts risked hypothermia while their male peers slept comfortably. The top’s response? “Adapt.” That’s a lousy deal when your fingers turn black. For an 18‑year‑old female soldier, the greatest threat is often not the enemy’s bullet but her own chain of command. This is not an accident
In Ukraine, both Ukrainian and Russian female soldiers have reported systematic sexual violence within units. The “lousy deal” is a perverse trade: serve your country, and you may be raped by your comrades. Commanders at the top routinely dismiss complaints as “morale problems” or transfer the victim, not the abuser. When she returns home, the lousy deal continues
Below is a thoroughly researched, structured article. Introduction: The Hidden Betrayal At exactly 18 years old, a young woman in a combat zone can legally drive a multi‑ton armored vehicle, pull a trigger against an enemy, and witness horrors that would break seasoned adults. Yet, from the top ranks of military leadership down to national policymakers, she is handed a lousy deal — one that her male peers rarely face and that civilian women her age will never understand.
Boots are another scandal. Standard military boots are built on male foot lasts (narrower heel, wider forefoot). Women suffer chronic stress fractures, ankle injuries, and debilitating blisters. A 2021 study in Military Medicine showed that female soldiers have the rate of lower‑extremity overuse injuries as males. The top brass has known this for 30 years but still issues “unisex” gear — a euphemism for male‑only.
But the top’s mental health system is a cruel joke. The Veterans Affairs (VA) system in the U.S., for example, still uses PTSD protocols designed for male combat trauma (bomb blasts, firefights), not the complex PTSD from repeated sexual assault. A 2022 RAND Corporation study found that to be misdiagnosed and receive ineffective treatment.