Growing up in New York City, Faigy Smulowitz wanted to become a famous fashion designer. "I imagined having my dresses on the runway and red carpet," said the now-19-year-old.
在纽约长大的费吉·斯马洛维茨之前想成为一名著名的时装设计师。今年19岁的她表示：“我想象过自己穿着裙子走在T台和红地毯上的样子。”
But after graduating from a Jewish day school near Jackson, NJ, two years ago, Smulowitz went to Israel for a gap-year program -- and ended up joining the Israel Defense Forces.
但两年前，斯马洛维茨从新泽西州杰克逊附近的一所犹太日校毕业后去了以色列，参加了一个为期一年的项目，最终加入了以色列国防军。
Smulowitz stands 5-foot-4 and had never handled a weapon before. Now she carries an M4 rifle attached to a grenade launcher and serves as her firing squad leader.
斯马洛维茨身高5英尺4英寸，以前从未使用过武器。现在，她携带着一只安装在榴弹发射器上的M4步枪，担任射击队队长。

She says the hardest part of her new life was the pre-army training, which lasted for more than a year and involved crawling on the beach, hauling 99-pound sandbags and staying awake all night.
她表示，新生活最艰难的部分是入伍前的训练，这种训练持续了一年多，包括在海滩上爬行，拖着99磅重的沙袋，整夜不睡。
"The trainers say you can go to sleep, then 10 minutes later they wake you up -- just to play with your mind," Smulowitz recalled.
斯马洛维茨回忆道：“教练员说你可以去睡觉，然后10分钟后他们会叫醒你--只是为了玩弄你的大脑。”
"My life would be easier if I had gone to fashion school, but I wouldn't be fulfilling my potential," she admitted. "My biggest worry would be, 'Oh, I have a test tomorrow.' Now it's 'I have a gun and I'm responsible for keeping people safe.'?"
她承认：“如果我去了时装学校，我的生活会更轻松，但不会发挥我的潜力。我最大的担心会是：‘哦，我明天要考试。’现在变成：‘我有枪，我负责保护人们的安全’。”