“I’ve been a victim in my life — twice,” Julie said. “When I joined the army, I first did [a] desk job and I really wanted to be a fighter. I really ‘fought the system’ to be a fighter for over a year.”

She added, “I [insisted] that I should be a combat soldier. After one year of a lot of fighting, I moved to combat role and then I felt the power inside me.”

“When I had the rifle on me [and] when I did shooting training — Krav Maga — all this stuff,” Julie said, “I felt empowered.”