Shoot Like a Girl

One Woman's Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Home Front

By: Major Mary Jennings Hegar

Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

On June 29, 2009, Air National Guard major Mary Jennings "MJ" Hegar was shot down while on a medevac mission on her third tour in Afghanistan. Despite being wounded, she fought the enemy and saved the lives of her crew and their patients. But soon she would face a new battle: to give women who serve on the front lines the credit they deserve....

After being commissioned into the US Air Force, MJ Hegar was selected for pilot training by the Air National Guard, finished at the top of her class, then served three tours in Afghanistan flying combat search and rescue missions, culminating in a harrowing rescue attempt that would earn MJ the Purple Heart as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor Device.

But it was on American soil that Hegar would embark on her greatest challenge - to eliminate the military's Ground Combat Exclusion Policy, which kept female armed service members from officially serving in combat roles despite their longstanding record of doing so with honor.

In Shoot Like a Girl, MJ takes the listener on a dramatic journey through her military career: an inspiring, humorous, and thrilling true story of a brave, high-spirited, and unforgettable woman who has spent much of her life ready to sacrifice everything for her country, her fellow man, and her sense of justice.

©2017 Mary Jennings Hegar (P)2017 Recorded Books

Gripping and Enlightening

SHOOT LIKE A GIRL
One Woman’s Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and on the Homefront
Mary Jennings Hegar

MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
PUBLISHER Penguin Berkley/Recorded Books
PUBLISHED March 7, 2017

A dramatic true story of one woman’s brave and selfless fight to serve her country and to improve opportunities for those women following in her footsteps.

SUMMARY
In 2009, Air National Guard Major Mary Jennings “MJ” Hegar was shot down by the Taliban while on a medevac mission on her third tour in Afghanistan. Despite being wounded in the arm and leg, she fought off the enemy and save the lives of her crew and their three patients.

Hegar had dreamed of being a pilot for most of her life, and was lucky enough to have an encouraging stepfather. After she was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force, Hegar was selected for pilot training by the Air National Guard, where she finished at the top of her class. She served three tours in Afghanistan flying hundreds of combat search and rescue missions culminating in the harrowing rescue that would earn Hegar the Purple Heart as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor. But on the home-front, Hegar would fight a great challenge as well. She sought to eliminate the Department of Defense Ground Combat Exclusion Policy, which kept women from serving in combat roles, despite their long standing record of doing so with honor. A lawsuit was filed by the ACLU with Hegar as a plaintiff arguing the unconstitutionality of the exclusion. That ban was lifted by then Secretary of Defense Leon Panneta and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2012.

REVIEW
Hold on tight for this gripping and enlightening biography. MJ Hegar followed her heart, and has done an astounding job at telling her story of her experiences. Her integrity and perseverance was front and center in her service to our country despite the many hurdles (discrimination) she had to overcome. She shares about her fight with the Taliban, the military and even the Pentagon. Her writing is engaging, and her rescue stories are breathtaking. Most importantly, is that the culmination of all of her experiences has lead her to a new mission where she has opened up opportunities for other women who choose to serve on the military. A true bluestocking woman! Thank you MJ Hegar for your service to this country and especially for making a difference for future generations of women.

“This is what I was made for. I felt it in my gut. In the last hour, I’d been shot by the Taliban, had my aircraft riddled with bullets, and landed hard in enemy territory. ‘I can do this. I am not scared.’ At that moment I wouldn’t have switched spots with anyone in the world, because I knew I was the best person for the job.”
-Mary Jennings Hegar
Shoot Like A Girl

Very interesting and inspiring

I read this because I was interested in finding out what it is like to be a woman in the military. This book was very well written, inspiring, and interesting. The narration was great as well. I definitely recommend.

Amazing true story of MJ Hegar

MJ is an inspiration not only to all fighter pilots, but to women everywhere with her warrior spirit. MJ continues her fight in running as a Texas Senator advocating for us all. I met her last year, and she is the real deal-down to earth, caring, and genuine.

Awesome! It would be my honor to salute you Ma'am!

If you care about the security of our nation you are duty bound to read this book. Carry on soldier.

Couldn’t stop listening

As an AF SNCO, female, and wife (mil to mil), I could relate and proud to have strong women working beside me. The journey hasn’t been easy and I’ve wanted to give up several times.

Interesting.look into pilot life

The story is very interesting although the writing is rather average. The author likes to say things like, "we were about to find out'.

nerves of steel

I wish our political leaders had as much bravery guts and principles as the fighter pilot in this story.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Didn't know anything about this pilot, the story or how the law changed. But, the title poppped up in a search result for another topic so thought I would roll the dice. Very happy I did. Riveting and inspiring.

Good Read

I enjoyed the story, but there was a little too much self promotion. The reader was fine.

Can't we all do something like MJ

Audiobooks are my daily salvation from my work as a linguist. I spend days on end reading and writing. I'm a translator. I live in the US, but English is not my native language. After a long day's work of translating, I set my Audible.com timer to ONE hour of listening -- trust me, without it, it's a pain to find out where you were in the story after you fall asleep. With this particular book, however, I quickly realized that one hour a night would not cut it by a long shot. So I reset my listening timer to a much longer interval. It did not help, either. I stayed up all night and had to re-arrange my schedule (luckily, I'm a freelancer, and I get to do this without losing my job).
MJ Hegar's account is captivating from so many angles. Her biological dad being abusive (ok, didn't happen to me, but my parents divorced right about the same time). Her stepdad being the guiding beacon in her life (oh, yeh, happened to me too, I just gave his eulogy). I wanted to hug her. And then the Yaeger story... sobbing.
Then her various attempts to be the best she could be, only to find out that that was not enough. Been there too. All my GPAs are 4.0, and it seems to be scaring people off... I could relate to her at various levels, but she always topped everything I ever achieved and/or got mad at...
Then her flying skills. My husband is a veteran and an airline pilot. Suffice it to say, I've had some very interesting discussions with him.
I relate to MJ in many ways, and at the same time, I could never do what she did. I couldn't help listening to her...
If you want me to point out a flaw in her telling, I noticed only a personal one. She refers to "the tap" many times. It was only through my veteran husband that I was able to find out what that means. Powerful!
I stand in honor of this brave woman, who has clearly defined her life to be that of service. And serve she did. Kudos.
As for her writing, her accounts do not sound like those written by ghost writer. Her writing is authentic and gripping, even if it may not warrant the Pulitzer award. She has done it all... warrior spirit... resilience against all odds... and happy love in the end. A life fully lived. A story well told. Thank you MJ.