At the military base, where until recently only men had served, the arrival of a young woman stirred up a storm of emotions. At first – contempt. The soldiers whispered: “the weaker sex,” “what kind of soldier could she be,” “she won’t last long here.” Gradually, this turned into open mockery: sometimes they wouldn’t let her join the toughest drills, sometimes they joked she was only there to “pour tea.”

Every day became a trial. The soldiers constantly mocked her. “Get a uniform one size smaller – maybe you’ll be faster,” some jeered. Others made sarcastic remarks when she joined them for training: “Careful you don’t fall, or you might break another nail.”

And then one day, in the locker room, as the girl was changing, her comrades noticed deep scars across her back. Laughter broke out instantly.

— “Look at that,” said one, “must have been a bad date.”
— “Or maybe she met a cheese grater,” added another.

The girl sat down quietly on the floor, unable to hold back her tears. But even her pain didn’t stop them. At that moment, the door opened, and the general stepped in. He saw her sitting with her head down while laughter echoed around her.

— “Do you even understand who you’re laughing at?” — the general’s voice thundered through the room.

The soldiers fell silent immediately, none daring to raise their eyes. And then the general revealed the awful truth about the girl  To be continued in the first comment 

— “Standing before you is one of the finest scouts in our country,” the general said firmly. “She was already serving when you were still in kindergarten. Those scars are the result of a combat mission. Her entire unit was ambushed, and they survived only because she carried her wounded comrades to safety. She sustained severe injuries, but she never backed down.”

Silence gripped the room. Smiles vanished, and shame appeared on their faces.

— “Instead of thanking her for her service, you laugh at her scars,” the general said with cold severity.
— “Shame on men like you.”

— “Why… why didn’t you ever tell us?” one of the soldiers asked cautiously.

The girl raised her eyes, wiped away her tears, and said softly:

— “I was just doing my job. There’s nothing to boast about.”

The soldiers lowered their heads. Then one reached out his hand to her. The others followed.

— “Forgive us… and thank you for your service,” said the youngest.

From that day on, no one ever called her the “weaker sex” again. To them, she was no longer just a fellow soldier, but an example of strength and courage.