When Jennifer Harms shakes hands, it’s a handshake of confidence.

Despite her small stature and calm demeanor, this senior journalism major went to Iraq as a member of the Air National Guard, a branch of the U.S. Air Force.

Harms, a Hillsboro native, wanted to find out if she could survive boot camp. She joined the 183rd Fighter Wing out of Springfield and is a senior airman.

She did it not only for the experience, but also to help with student loans. Harms’ college tuition was paid in exchange for time spent in the military. She has three more years to serve – a weekend each month, and two weeks each year.

In January she returned from Iraq after completing a four-month tour.

“It was interesting, really frightening at first. I was south of Baghdad and it was pretty calm where I was at. We had a few scares,” Harms said.

In the Air National Guard, people are broken down into units, then squadrons, then shops. Harms’ unit is the 183rd Fighter Wing, her squadron is Chemical Engineering and the shop is Nuclear, Biological Chemical Warfare.

It helped that there were two other women in her shop, and she knew the people in her unit.

The U.S. military consists of four branches: the Army, the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Air Force. The female population in the Army is 14.7 percent. Women account for about 15 percent of the Navy, 19.6 percent of the Air Force and 5.82 percent of the Marine Corps.

Harms said more women are joining the military. People feel patriotic and want to do something for the country so they join the military, although being in the military is not the only way of showing patriotism, she said.

Women are not allowed to serve in units related directly to combat such as special operations, infantry, armor and some artillery jobs.

The Marine Corps has the fewest women because its main mission is fighting, said U.S. Army Spokeswoman Martha Rudd.

Women serve in fields like medicine, administration and supplies. In 1994, female pilots were permitted to attack other aircrafts. Before then, women were only permitted to fly the aircraft.

“Women serve in 92 percent of all army occupations,” said Major Elizabeth Robbins, a U.S. Army spokeswoman. “All soldiers are soldiers trained and equipped to defend themselves.”

The Iraq War has no front line, so all military personal are on guard and must defend themselves against attack.

Harms said people should be given a choice as to whether they want to engage in combat and should not be denied based on sex.

“It’s just another way of degrading women,” she said. “I think, not that I would want to, but I think that everybody should have an equal right.”

Harms’ military experience has helped her grow as a person. She said she thinks everyone should join the military for a while just for the experience.