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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- According to a 2011 study by the Pew Research Center, the United State military is no longer just a man's world.
 
The number of women serving this country has skyrocketed and the majority of women enlisting are African American. This week's citizen soldier is proof of that.

Senior Airman Brittany Davis is a member of the South Carolina Air National Guard who knows how to handle a weapon. Davis the on the team that helps arm the F-16s of the 169th Fighter Wing on a mission to take down the enemy. “I love working on the jets, it’s fun. I think it is, but you still want to make sure that you follow every tech data that's done cause you can get complacent. You get into a routine and that’s one thing that you don't want to do and that can cause safety violations because you're so into the routine,” says Davis.

Like many of her counter parts, Senior Airman Davis comes from a long line of family members who've answered the call. She's the female in her family to enlist. “Service means putting other people before yourself. It also means that you want to give back to your country and I just feel like joining the guard could help me do that.”

Davis recently returned from her first deployment to Afghanistan where she spent five months on serving on the frontlines of war on terror. It took some adjusting, she says, being away from home and missing her family, but the sacrifice was well worth it.

“I feel like the missions that we fly, I play a big role because without these jets then there is no mission we can't go out there and protect people outside the wire or just in general protect our country,” says Davis.

Senior Airman Davis has served three year in the National Guard. She's currently working on earning a bachelor's degree in physical education at South Carolina State University.