A 20-year-old British private gave birth the other day. Ho-hum, right? But listen to this:
- She delivered the baby herself.
- She hid the child for "days" (it doesn't say how many) before anyone found out she had, you know, given birth.
- She hid the pregnancy from her fellow soldiers. Officers asked if she was pregnant but she said no. "She continued to take part in exercises and had been to the gym wearing loose clothes." No one seems to know why she didn't want to admit it.
This bit about how much maternity leave British soldiers get is interesting: "Female military personnel are entitled to 52 weeks' maternity leave, 39 of them paid, and they are not considered for deployment within six months of giving birth, unless they volunteer. "
A year of maternity leave, 39 paid weeks -- pretty good. Being shipped overseas six months after giving birth? Wow. I guess if that's what you do, and duty calls, then you go. Sounds like a bummer though.
This is sort of the opposite of the American soldier who reported for duty with kids in tow after being stop-lossed. I understand her more than I do the British woman. Why hide a baby like that? Frankly, HOW do you hide a baby in an army barracks? And delivering your own kid? Ouch. Kind of disputes the notion that women are "too weak" for combat. Anyone who can deliver their own baby, I want on my side.
Source: Telegraph
Image: Wikipedia
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