The US army medic: 'You just have to go with the flow'

Captain Cynthia V Brito, from Queens in New York, is a 27-year-old dentist with a front-line unit. She spoke to 'The New York Times'

Who wouldn't be nervous? Especially just after graduating from dental school. But I can't let that affect me. Just go with the flow. You have to go with the flow in the army. I'm a New York girl. New York girls have got to be flexible.

Definitely the army is male-dominated in terms of the demographic. Guys like to get down and dirty. Guys like to do that more. As a female, I'm OK with that. I'm embarrassed to admit that I miss getting my hair and nails done once a week. That fits too much in the female stereotype, doesn't it? But I'm in women's barracks, and we do each other's hair, keep our nails and feet clean, and it's always, "Can I borrow your nail polish remover, can I borrow your mirror, can I borrow your tweezers?"

You meet some really good people here, some great people. That may sound bogus, but it's true. You expect people to be kicking and complaining, and they're not. I just hope everyone makes it.