Kayla Williams

Kayla Williams is a former sergeant and Arabic linguist in a Military Intelligence company of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). During her deployment to Iraq, Williams was at the forefront of troops’ interaction with Iraqis while also navigating the challenges of being part of the 15 percent of the Army that is female. Kayla is the author of Love My Rifle More than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army, a memoir about her experiences negotiating the changing demands on today’s military. Ms. Williams graduated cum laude with a BA in English Literature from Bowling Green State University, and earned an MA in International Affairs with a focus on the Middle East from American University. She is a Project Associate at the RAND Corporation and a Truman National Security Project Fellow. Kayla currently lives near Washington, DC, with her husband, a combat-wounded veteran, and their two children. Her second book, Plenty of Time When We Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War, about their family’s journey from trauma to healing, was recently released by W. W. Norton.