Army Daze

Momma, Momma, can't you see
what the Army's done to me?
Momma, Momma, can't you see
this Army life is killing me?

As a child, I read about a womyn
who had gotten there by changing her gender.
However, my mother's reaction to this article
was something less than tender.

So it was at five, I knew that I
was meant to be a "she."
But society said I should be a man,
so I joined the ROTC.

I used to date a beauty queen.
Now I hug my M-16.
I used to date a beauty queen.
Now I hug my M-16.

After RotCee graduation,
it was straight into the Guard.
But the conventional Army wasn't making me a man.
I needed something hard.

The thought of leaping from a plane
filled my tender heart with fear.
Nonetheless, I ended up
a "triple volunteer."

I used to drive a Chevrolet.
Now I'm Airborne all the way.
I used to drive a Chevrolet.
Now I'm Airborne all the way.

Army, Airborne, Special Forces --
the need to "man up" was never abating.
Then finally it occurred to me
I was overcompensating.

So I left the Guard for Inactive Reserves
to take on a whole different kind of mission.
Now I was free to be the womyn I am
as I started my gender transition.

I used to wear a suit and tie.
Now men will whistle as I walk by.
I used to wear a suit and tie.
Now men will whistle as I walk by.

I started living as a womyn
and the hormones took effect.
I even changed my Military ID.
You'd think the higher ups would start to suspect.

I got up the courage to contact my branch manager
and fired her off an email.
I said they should update my medical records.
See, I was really supposed to be female.

I found a lawyer through the SLDN
so I had legal ammunition,
but not even a .50 caliber attorney
could help save my Captain's commission.

December Thirteenth, Two Thousand Six
is when we parted ways.
You see, the Army likes its trannies
about as much as it likes its gays.

People, people, can't you see
what the Army did to me?
People, people, can't you see
this prejudice is killing me?

So, youth of America, when your local recruiter
starts to give you the hard sell,
I urge you to look him straight in the eye
and respond with, "don't ask, don't tell."

Marcilla Elizabeth Smith is a transgender woman and Army veteran from Florida. She currently does trans-activism and reads poetry in the Orlando area.