Karmen Sampson is a far cry from her home in Australind but this International Women's Day she’s become a role model for women everywhere.
Now a Captain in the Australian Army, Ms Sampson is deployed to Iraq with Task Group Taji 4 - a force of around 300 Australian and 100 New Zealand defence personnel.
Ms Sampson works as a physiotherapist at the military hospital run by Australian and New Zealand medical professionals at the Taji military complex, north of Baghdad.
The Captain has been sure of her goals in life since her high school.
“I knew I wanted to be an Army Physiotherapist as a teenager, when I was studying at Australind Senior High School,” she said.
Task Group Taji’s mission is to train Iraqi security forces to help them defeat Daesh.
The hospital provides vital health support to the men and women of Task Group Taji.
“Every day I hear a story about a local Iraqi soldier who has benefited from our training,” she said.
“It’s a reminder of how good we have it in Australia and why our contribution to the international effort against global terrorism is so important.”
This International Women’s Day, she’ll will be running her bi-weekly ‘Combat Recovery Class’ that she’s designed especially for soldiers on deployment.
Ms Sampson said the class is inspired by yoga with the aim of reducing the risks of soft tissue injuries to Australian and New Zealand soldiers.
