Amanda D. Westfall (b. 1984), of Elkview, West Virginia, served in the United States Army from 2003-2012. Amanda D. Westfall was born 17 June 1984 in Charleston, West Virginia. After graduating high school in 2002, she began attending West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery on a scholarship, with the intention of being a mechanic, but dropped out after one semester. She met with an United States Army recruiter and enlisted for three years. After taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), Westfall decided to pursue computer/radio training because she thought it would afford her more job opportunities when she left the military. In February 2003, Westfall left for basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where she struggled with the physical aspects of the training. After a few weeks, while doing the obstacle course, Westfall injured her hip and was sent to the Physical Training and Rehabilitation Program, where they performed a bone scan and discovered fractures in her ankles, knees, and hip. Westfall began rehabilitation exercises, recovered, and eventually graduated with a different basic training group. Westfall was then sent to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Gordon, Georgia, to receive training as a 25U Signal Support Systems Specialist. She primarily worked with radios, learning to build and troubleshoot them, but also worked with computers when needed. After graduating AIT, Westfall and a few other females were given the option of attending Airborne School, which was something she had always wanted to do because of her father's involvement with the 82nd Airborne Division. She waited two months for a slot to become available and then began Airborne School at nearby Fort Benning, but due to not being able to do more than three pull-ups, she was released from the program. In Spring 2004, Westfall was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, where she worked in the communication shop. During her time there, Westfall was assaulted by an intoxicated male soldier, who left black and blue marks on her neck. The following day, Westfall's platoon sergeant noticed the bruises and brought her to Criminal Investigation Command, where she was interrogated. The male soldier was eventually discharged from the army, but Westfall became frustrated when people who knew him started harassing her for getting him dismissed, so she requested an overseas assignment. In November 2004, Westfall was assigned to the 2/6th Cavalry Regiment in Illesheim, Germany, where she once again worked in the communication shop as the designated computer person. While in Germany, Westfall attended Oktoberfest, and went on a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) trip to Italy. In 2006, Westfall deployed from Germany to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Her duties included supervising Afghan civilians coming onto the Forward Operating Base (FOB) to work. Towards the end of the one-year deployment, Westfall traveled to Jalalabad Air Base for a month to assist Marines with aviation operators' communications. Before returning to Germany to retrieve her belongings, Westfall reenlisted and was assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia, as she was still very interested in attending Airborne School. Westfall returned to the U.S. and was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning. After about two years, Westfall was sent to Fort Irwin National Training Center in California for pre-deployment training. A few weeks after returning to Fort Benning, she was deployed to Forward Operating Base Hammer in Iraq for a fifteen-month tour. During deployment, Westfall was put in charge of signal and vehicle maintenance for the company, and assisted with transporting signal equipment from FOB Hammer to Baghdad International Airport. Also while deployed, Westfall learned of the Psychological Operations Specialist MOS, 37F, decided to submit her paperwork, and was accepted for the new classification. After returning to Fort Benning, Westfall went on a sixty-three day leave. When she returned, she began her second attempt at Airborne School, and was able to successfully complete it, having spent her free time over the last few years physically preparing herself. In October 2008, Westfall was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where she completed the Warrior Leadership Course (WLC), before beginning Psychological Operations training, which included six months of Thai language instruction. She graduated in November 2009 and was assigned to 8th Battalion. In January 2010, Westfall deployed to Qatar, where she oversaw Afghan civilians working on the base. In July 2010, Westfall returned to Fort Bragg, where she learned the military was looking for Special Operations females to accompany Rangers and Special Forces units on deployment as Cultural Support Teams (CST). At first, she was uninterested in applying and the possibility of deploying, but after being put in 5th Battalion, a Pacific Command, and witnessing the sexism of her new first sergeant, Westfall changed her mind. She applied to the program in Fall 2010 and was one of fifty to sixty women chosen to try out. She attended a few days of training at Camp MacKall, a satellite area of Fort Bragg, and was then given a physical evaluation. Westfall then attended six weeks of intense Afghan cultural and historical training. In January 2011, Westfall deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan. By this time, the Cultural Support Teams had been split in half between the Rangers and Special Forces; Westfall was chosen for the Rangers. She spent time learning the proper way to search and interrogate Afghan women through interactive training with female American-Afghan Afghan interpreters, and was then sent to FOB Salerno, where she participated in one hundred and thirteen missions in eight months. After returning to the United States, Westfall felt physically and mentally broken, so, in 2012, she decided to transition out of the army. She then attended the Body Therapy Institute in Siler City, North Carolina, for massage therapy training, after which she began working with CrossFit athletes and pain management.Amanda D. Westfall (b. 1984), of Elkview, West Virginia, served in the United States Army from 2003-2012.
