Did you fight alongside women?There were women. We'd use them for recruiting: "Look how lovely this women is. Come on, you can have one, two. Man, there are lots." Pah-pah, like a magnet.
But the women also fought. A woman is brave, braver than a man when dealing with confrontation. When I was in the war, women were in the line of combat, always. They let bullets fly, and they cooked for the soldiers when not in the field. And they stuck around those who had the most power. For example, the commander had one, the platoon chief had one, the chief of the detachment had one. But [women] were always in the line of combat.
There are people who say, "I'm [made to be in the] military." And they enter an academy, train, gain rank, and become good military men. But me? Me, I'm allergic. It is not for me.
Read more of Baquilita's story in Speaking Their Peace.