FILE NO. 009

INTERVIEW WITH CW3 KARA RESNIK, UNITED STATES ARMY

Location: Fort Campbell Army Base, Kentucky

—You again. What do you want now?

—I only want to ask you a few simple questions.

—What if I don’t want to answer?

—You are free to leave whenever you want, but it would be wise of you to stay.

—Why do I feel like this is a test?

—Because you are very perceptive. I am initiating a project to which you might be able to contribute, in one manner or another. You have, on the one hand, witnessed certain events and demonstrated certain skills that might give you a significant advantage over other potential candidates. On the other hand, your impulsive nature and your inability to work well with others are of concern to me, as they are to your superiors. With your permission, I would like to ask you a few simple questions and for you to answer them honestly. Is that something you feel you can do?

—Answer questions? Isn’t that what I’ve been doing already?

—I was not questioning your ability to answer questions. You have already shown great skills at eluding any inquiry of a personal nature by answering with another question. I am asking whether you believe you are able to answer honestly.

—Does it matter if I’m not?

—It certainly matters if you entertain any hope of being selected for this project.

—You’ve already called me impulsive and unable to work well with others. It sounds as if you have a pretty good idea of what you think of me.

—Let me present this to you in another way. Let us assume that I already know you are not suited for whatever task I have in mind, and that I have purposely chosen to fly here and waste several hours of my time for no other reason than to make your life a bit more miserable. Under this scenario, it would seem preferable for you to get through these questions as fast as you can so that you may return to whatever it is you do, now that you can no longer fly helicopters. I might also not be a complete imbecile and have a genuine interest in your answers. Either way, you have ten seconds to answer each question. Are you ready?

—…

—What are your three worst qualities?

—My three…Last we met you called me—what was it?—obdurate, volatile, irascible. I guess that’s three. I’m also vindictive, and I never forget anything. How many is that?

—What are three qualities you admire in others?

—Loyalty. Honesty. Courage.

—OK. You must answer the following statements with true or false. First one: You trust reason rather than feelings.

—You want me to answer that with true or false? It’s a bogus question. I know you want me to answer true, but sometimes you need to listen to your gut.

—Then it sounds like your answer should be false.

—But if I say false, you’ll think I’m an emotional time bomb.

—I might already be thinking that. I might also think you are completely heartless. You still need to answer with true or false.

—False.

—You often think about mankind and its place in the universe.

—I do.

—So your answer is true?

—Yes.

—You feel at ease in a crowd.

—False.

—You are usually the first to react to an unexpected event, like an accident.

—Hmmm…True. I guess.

—You like to assume responsibility for something.

—True.

—In a social event, you position yourself in the center of the room, rather than on the sides.

—That’s an interesting one. I can’t remember the last time I was at a social event.

—Let me repeat the question. In a social event, you position yourself in the center of the room, rather than on the sides.

—I don’t think I do. No…False.

—You have difficulty expressing your feelings.

—That’s another bogus question. It depends on the feeling. I have no problem expressing anger. I don’t think many people do. I could say the same about joy, gratitude, frustration, amazement. Things like love, fear, shame, desire, helplessness, now that’s another story.

—That is a very well considered answer to a completely different question. Now please answer this one with true or false.

—But I can’t. I just told you there is more than one answer.

—This is unfortunate because this is a true or false question. Average it out. Do you have difficulty expressing your feelings?

—Yes…or true! My answer is true!

—There is no need to get angry.

—I’m not angry.

—If you say so. You have a problem with authority.

—You don’t need a test to figure that one out.

—It is a question. It is part of the test.

—Oh. True…What? You’re surprised? I know, now you’ll ask me why someone with authority issues would choose a career in the military.

—This is an interesting conversation you are having with yourself. Can we move on?

—Yes, we can. I talk when I’m nervous.

—You believe in the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence.

—What?

—You heard me.

—…False. What could that possibly tell you about me?

—That you do not believe in extraterrestrial intelligence. Had your answer been true, I would now think the opposite.

—You’re very helpful.

—Thank you. I will now give you the beginning of a story and you have to finish it in one or two sentences. Do you understand?

—I think I do.

—Tommy sits on the doorstep alone…

—Really? You want to understand the depths of me and you come up with “Tommy sits on the doorstep alone.” That’s just stupid…Why don’t you just ask me what you want to know?

—We could be here for quite some time if you do not answer the questions. It is a very simple exercise; it should pose no problem for someone of your intelligence.

—Don’t insult me.

—I am not. I saw your file, remember. Your qualification testing shows you have an IQ somewhere between 125 and 130. That would make you moderately gifted. Therefore, as I said, it should not be a problem for someone of your intelligence to complete a small story in one sentence or two, even under a time constraint. Shall we proceed? Tommy sits on the doorstep alone…

—Fine…His friends said they would come get him, but they didn’t. Tommy’s making up great stories in his head. When his friends finally come, he doesn’t want to play with them anymore. Moderately gifted?

—Next story. On the way to the supermarket, Lisa found a lottery ticket on the ground…

—Do you come up with these yourself or did a team of psychologists create these little gems? I mean, would anyone really say they’d steal it? Then again, what if there’s no one around? It’s not like you can put an ad in the paper…

—I do not belie—

—Never mind! Sure enough, there was a name and address on the back. She returned the ticket to an old man who lived a few blocks down. When the man died, she found out he put her in his will and left her everything. Is that touching enough for you?

—Very well. I will now enunciate a word, and you will tell me the first word that comes to mind. What is the first thing you think of when you hear…War?

—Death.

—Luck?

—I don’t know…Friend.

—Defeat?

—Rise.

—Country?

—Gratitude.

—Father?

—…Loss.

—Trust?

—…

—Ms. Resnik?

—Fund. Are we done?

—We are for now. I have a few more questions, but they are not part of the test.

—And yet you’re still going to judge me based on my answers.

—I will, but in a much more subjective way. Can you tell me what a Night Stalker is?

—It’s a member of the 160th SOAR, Special Ops Aviation Regiment. It’s an elite force. They specialize in low-altitude night-flying operations.

—Are they good?

—They’re the best of the best.

—And you are one of them.

—I am now!

—Why now?

—I lost my flight status. I got a teaching job at the Sabalauski Air Assault School after I hurt my eye, but you already know that.

—So you teach them how to fly but you cannot fly with them?

—I know you expect me to see some irony in there, but I never could. It’s special ops. They don’t take women other than in a support role.

—Who is “they”?

—The US military doesn’t allow women in combat or special operations.

—How does that make you feel?

—How does what make me feel? That women can’t join special ops? I knew that when I joined the Army. There are still a lot of rewarding jobs for women in the military. Do you wanna know if I’m upset I can’t fly anymore? You bet I am. It feels like my legs were cut off.

—You like flying that much?

—Most kids want to become firemen, policemen, fighter pilots, astronauts. Most people change their mind when they get older. I always wanted…No, that’s not true; I wanted to be a princess. But I knew I wanted to become a helicopter pilot the minute I saw one hover over our house. I must have been five or six. I haven’t changed my mind ever since, never questioned my choice to join the armed forces. It’s who I am. It’s the only thing that really makes me feel alive.

—Could you fly if they let you?

—Could I? Yes. I could. I see fine.

—Let me ask you this. Why were you in Turkey?

—I’m really trying not to be a smart-ass here, but you’re making it difficult. You’ll have to be more specific.

—I mean why did they send you? This seems to be the type of mission the law is designed to keep women away from, and you just told me there is an entire regiment of people who specialize in just that sort of thing. Why did they send a twenty-four-year-old woman with an attitude for such an important mission and not SOAR?

—The commander knew me. I flew support missions for him in Afghanistan. And it’s NATO, things are a little different. In any case, all the commander has to do is call it recon, or support, then I can go. There are some really good women pilots in the Army. Good commanders find ways to use them.

—One last question. What if I told you I could get your flight status reinstated? What would you be willing to do?

—Anything.

—Be careful how you choose to answer. You might regret it later.

—Then tell me what I have to do.

—Would you be willing to put your life at risk?

—That’s a ridiculous question. Anyone who gets in a military helicopter knows they’re putting their life at risk.

—Would you be willing to put the lives of innocent people at risk?

—If I trust there’s a good reason behind it. It doesn’t really matter what you ask me. Like I said, I’m willing to do anything if there’s a purpose to it.

—You are a soldier in the United States Army. Presumably, you are not always told the reason for everything. Have you ever been sent on a mission without knowing its purpose?

—It happens. Not as often as you’d think, but it happens.

—Then how do you know it was worth putting your life in danger? You do not strike me as someone who would blindly trust anyone.

—I guess I didn’t do too well on that test. You’re right, I don’t trust people easily, but I have faith in numbers.

—Interesting.

—I do. I think people are scared, and dumb, and selfish on their own, but put enough of them together and they’ll be half-decent. The Army’s a big clumsy machine, but I trust it to do the right thing more often than not.

—Can you keep an open mind? Are you willing to challenge what you know to be true?

—I suppose no one ever thinks that they’re close-minded. You tell me.

—Thank you very much for your time, Ms. Resnik.

—Oh, again with the cryptic ending. Come on! Tell me more…No? Ask me more questions, then! Don’t go…I’ll tell you more stories about little Tommy sitting on the stairs!