Fort Hood 5-foot-2 Iraq War veteran with her hair in cornrows slams competition

Women in combat
Troops come out fighting to bolster their skills and battle skepticism about females on the front lines
By David S. Cloud, Tribune Washington Bureau
March 4, 2012

Army Staff Sgt. Jackelyn Walker, right, goes after Pfc. Greg Langarica in the first round of a cage fight in front of about 1,000 spectators last month in the Army gym at Fort Hood in Texas. More than 300 male and 25 female soldiers fought with unpadded punches and kicks throughout the four-day championship. (José M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune / February 14, 2012)

FORT HOOD, Texas — Whap. Whap. Army Staff Sgt. Jackelyn Walker is snapping left jabs at Pfc. Greg Langarica's head. She doesn't like his smirk. Whap. Whap.

She lunges for his midsection and slams him down with a thud. Locked in a chokehold, Langarica's face goes crimson. His smirk is gone.

The 5-foot-2 Iraq War veteran with her hair in cornrows is thrashing the taller, tattooed artilleryman in a black chain-link cage lit by pulsating strobes. The 1,000 or so spectators in the Army gym howl with glee.

The Army still bars women from front-line combat units. But male and female soldiers traded kicks and punches in a four-day championship in mid-February at this sprawling Army base. The cage fighting contest was held to highlight hand-to-hand fighting skills, but some bouts seemed more like no-holds-barred brawls.

More than 300 men and 25 women — up from five last year — competed. One woman made the finals.
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