40 Badass Female Soldiers Who Are Inspiring On And Off Duty

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Emily Rebecca served for six years. She’s one of the many to follow in the footsteps of the original trailblazers – the “Sacred 20.” These ladies filled out the Navy Nurse Corps after it was set up in 1908. Anyway, Rebecca is now living and working in Hawaii. You can’t help but feel a little envious, right?!

Juliet Sandford is a shining example of what it means to be an inspiration. This lady does her duty for the United States Army and looks out for others. Sandford even got a sealed letter from the Secretary of Defense that commended her for fighting “female veteran homelessness.” She’s a real Wonder Woman.

Unlike most other countries across the globe, Israel demands that ladies serve a mandatory period with its army. It’s been that way since the late 1940s. But women such as Adi Simha have fully embraced their positions with the Israel Defense Forces. Away from the uniform, Simha is a keen camerawoman as well.

It’s safe to say that Britney Nicole Groux isn’t resting on her laurels as a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In fact, she’s looking to make a mark on the legal world too. Yes, Groux is a law student at present. Plus, the former soldier also has a young son named Jayden at home. We get the feeling that she can juggle all those responsibilities!

What were you doing at 20? Well, whatever your answer may be, there’s a good chance that Dana Fesenko has you beat. This young woman completed a spell with the Israeli Navy in December 2020 – just a couple of months after hitting the big 2-0. That’s quite an experience to take forward into the future, wouldn’t you say?

Briana Hightower – what an awesome name! She’s a veteran of the United States Air Force, with a husband in the field as well. Hightower is now a regular poster on Instagram, boasting more than 23,000 followers. And she represents two “veteran owned” businesses in CNC Apparel and Be Empowered Nutrition.

Oh to be a teenager again. Those last few years of our lives without any solid responsibilities to worry about. That’s not the case for Anit Yan, though. She’s 19 and serving in the Israel Defense Forces. On top of that, Yan is also represented by the Shai Avital Elite Model Management company. Her future certainly looks bright.

If you’re in the military, maintaining your fitness is an absolute must. Then again, Leilani Hartley has taken things to another level. Yes, this soldier of the U.S. Army is a big CrossFit fan, and the results speak for themselves. Hartley’s in unbelievable shape, sporting abs that most top athletes would be jealous of!

Shannon Ihrke has quite the resume to her name. She’s not only a United States Marine Corps veteran, but the former sergeant is a graduate of Elmhurst University too. Now, as a mother of two little girls at home, she works as an “equine lessons instructor.” That’s a pretty cool journey, wouldn’t you agree?

On social media, Taylor Harrison used to post under the tag “The Combat Bunny.” And we can see why: she’s a member of the United States Army. Harrison was still serving her country over the festive period in 2020, spending time away from her loved ones. Yet despite that commitment, she’s done a bit of modeling work alongside her stint as a soldier too.

Over the course of a year, around 1,500 ladies are drafted into the Israel Defense Forces. Amit Biton was one of them, joining her fellow female soldiers. But her time with the military came to an end in November 2020. “Done,” she posted on Instagram. The 2,200-plus likes that post received suggest that Biton’s efforts were appreciated.

Yuval Bar hasn’t been shy in sharing her experiences with the Israel Defense Forces on social media. She’s posted plenty of photographs in her military uniform on her Instagram page. And there are many more snaps of Bar enjoying herself in civilian clothes. After all, she’s only 20 years old. Who didn’t have fun at that age?!

Saying goodbye to the service is tough enough as it is, but Lexy Meeks found it especially hard in July 2018. After five years with the U.S. Navy, she said her farewells. “It’s honestly one of the most bittersweet moments of my life,” she posted on Instagram. Since then, though, Meeks has lapped up civilian life, posing for photos in some stunning parts of the world. Good for her!

It’s fair to say that the Israel Defense Forces is packed full of women looking to do their part for the country. Cristina Kalachnikov was among them, yet her personal interests went beyond serving with the military. Yes, she’s a model managed by the Eytan Sharon Models agency. Talk about contrasting professions. It works for Kalachnikov, though.

How long do ladies have to stay in the Israel Defense Forces? Be honest with us, you’ve been thinking about that too! Well, their spells with the military shouldn’t last any longer than two years, depending on where they’re deployed. Kristina Selivanova was still firmly involved in the fall of 2020, but her smile suggests that it’s not too bad.

Julie Orin describes herself as the “Queen of Guns” on her Instagram page. And in truth, it’s hard to argue with her. This Israel Defense Forces soldier is a “shooting instructor” and a member of the International Practical Shooting Confederation. Plus, Orin runs her own company. Given her nickname, hitting the target in the business world shouldn’t be a problem.

When certain people leave the service, they might not have a chosen career to fall back on. That’s not a problem for Instagram user Nerdy Peach, though. Sure, she may be a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, but she’s currently studying for a PhD in blockchains. Peach is also a cybersecurity advisor and has an interest in “space physics.” Her name’s beginning to make sense now!

For Tanya Lauren, she was counting down the days until her time in the Israel Defense Forces came to an end in September 2020. Mind you, we can understand why. You see, away from the military, Lauren is part of a girl band named Formula. They’re pretty popular, with their music videos accumulating over 15 million views on YouTube. Their latest effort dropped in March 2020.

Here’s an inspiring story to get behind. After spending her childhood years in Bahrain, Sam Juan eventually made her way over to America, enlisting in the army. She was a soldier for around a decade, before earning a Drawing and Design degree from Old Dominion University in 2015. Now Juan’s got a job in the advertising sector. How cool is that?

Paola, or Prodigious Paola as she’s known on social media, is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. She’s kept herself busy on Instagram, making frequent posts for her thousands of followers. And Paola’s got her own YouTube channel as well, with the videos covering several topics. Overall, they’ve accumulated more than 727,000 views. Not bad at all.

As a member of the United States Coast Guard, Jay Brunetti has plenty of responsibilities to deal with throughout her shifts. Outside of the job, though, she’s also got some other work on the side. You see, Brunetti represents two separate brands on Instagram named V&V Essentials and Vaya Island.

Lydia might be a U.S. Marine, but that hasn’t stopped her from enjoying life away from the uniform. Yes, she’s shared numerous photos that show her out and about on her Instagram page. As a result of that, Lydia has in excess of 11,000 followers on the social media website. Oorah indeed!

Sidney Brook is a member of the United States Air Force, yet she doesn’t spend her time flying around in planes. In fact, she works with a K9 unit on the ground. Their job is to detect any potential threats to their station. Away from that, Brook represents a couple of companies run by veterans called Valkyrie Tactical Apparel and Nine Line Apparel.

At first glance, Ofir Harosh might just look like another soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. Mind you, there’s more to her than that. Outside of military life, Harosh is a budding musician. She dropped her latest track on YouTube in February 2021, and it’s since earned close to 410,000 views. Could she be a superstar in the making?

Eden Ben Baruch works as a police officer in Israel, and it’s a job she clearly cares about. “Proud to be a part,” she wrote in an Instagram post in May 2019. But Baruch has other interests away from work. If her social media page is anything to go by, she absolutely adores horses!

For some veterans, making the switch to civilian life is a very difficult process. Victoria Potter Worsnop could certainly relate to that when she left the Navy. As she wrote on Instagram in January 2021, “I think I’m still having a bit of an identity crisis and Imposter syndrome.” Yet Worsnop has found an unexpected outlet to help her: Twitch. She’s a regular streamer on the platform now.

Following six years on the job, Julia left the United States Navy. She’s now a mom of two young children alongside her husband, who also serves in the military. If you think that the veteran might be missing her old life, this Instagram message should tell you all you need to know. “On maternity leave (indefinitely!)” she wrote at the top of her page. Good for her, right?

Outside of her work with the Israel Defense Forces, Eden Sisson has kept herself busy in other ways. How? Well, she represents the firearms company Alpha Gun Angels, even posing for its 2021 calendar. Sisson also makes frequent posts on her Instagram page, which has earned her more than 74,000 followers.

There’s no denying the fact that certain jobs can take over your life if you’re not too careful. Then again, Meri Kogan hasn’t allowed that to happen. Sure, she works for Israel’s police force, but she’s got a family to look after at home as well. Plus Kogan is a self-professed food aficionado. No uniform can stand in the way of that!

Lior Mizrahi used to work for the Israel Border Police, before bidding that job goodbye in May 2018. Since then, she’s been incredibly active on social media, sharing countless pictures via her Instagram page. Mizrahi currently boasts over 10,500 followers, and that number’s sure to keep growing. She’s got the model poses down pat.

As a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Tara has found a second life in the world of social media management. That’s quite a contrast. Anyway, she also represents two brands on her Instagram page in Be Empowered Nutrition and CNC Apparel. On top of that, Tara’s got more than 162,000 followers herself.

For some ladies, it must be incredibly daunting when they get drafted into the Israel Defense Forces. In Noy and Hadar’s case, though, they had each other to fall back on if things got tough. Yes, these twins served together in the military. Away from that, they both work as models, with It Models representing the pair.

In September 2019 Koren Peretz said her goodbyes to the Israel Defense Forces. She shared a post about it on Instagram, which earned more than 500 likes. Since then, Peretz has lived her life to the fullest, traveling to some exotic locales. But at the same time, she doesn’t plan to forget about her experiences in the military. A commendable attitude, wouldn’t you agree?

Here’s a crazy stat to ponder: according to The New York Times, ladies make up less than one in ten of the U.S. Marine Corps. That’s so low! Anyway, Danielle is part of that figure, and she’s doing an excellent job. She earned a promotion to corporal in January 2021. Plus the marine represents a few different brands on her social media page too. She’s pretty busy.

Christine Elena Urquiola is a soldier in the U.S. Army, and she’s been sharing her progress via social media. In fact, back in the summer of 2020 she revealed that she’d finished the “Adjutant General Basic Officer Leaders Course.” Good on her. Outside of that, Urquiola also sells her own aromatherapy candles to help those with mental health struggles.

Your time in the U.S. Marine Corps doesn’t always have to be serious. Take Andrene for example. Her Instagram page highlights a young woman enjoying her life to the fullest, while also looking professional in the uniform. She’s struck the perfect balance between the two, wouldn’t you say? That’s not always easy.

How would you take to being drafted into the military? Would you get your head down and press ahead, or react badly? Well, Noam Cohen seems to fit into the former category. She’s been sharing snaps of herself while serving in the Israel Defense Forces, with the latest coming in February 2021. Plus Cohen also has plenty of modeling photos on Instagram.

Ariel Cilleste is currently serving with the United States Air Force, celebrating a promotion back in October 2020. But she’s no longer based in America, as she now lives in Germany. Due to that, Cilleste has shared photos of her exploration of the country. Wouldn’t you? We’d be posing all the time.

Julie Sletten once served in the Royal Norwegian Air Force in 2019. Mind you, that’s not what she’s known for today. Instead, Sletten is a hugely popular influencer on Instagram, boasting more than 54,000 followers at present. The Norwegian represents Bekka Fashion on the social media website as well.

The Israel Defense Forces is home to many attractive women, but Yael Shelbia is at the top of the list. Literally. You see, she came in at number one in TC Candler’s “100 Most Beautiful Faces of the Year” rankings for 2020. That’s some achievement! And it might explain why she’s got more than 1.3 million followers on Instagram.