Village values forged a trailblazer in the RFMF

Life in the village — not the parade ground — prepared Warrant Officer Melaia Salacakau for a career in the military.

Growing up as the only girl among six boys in Labasa, she learned early how to work hard, keep pace and stand her ground, lessons that later helped her thrive in the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF).

The 61-year-old was among Fiji’s first female military recruits in 1988 and went on to serve for three decades before retiring in 2018.

“I was brought up in the village. There were six boys so I had to go to the cassava patch and weed and do whatever needed to be done,” Ms Sakacakau said on Monday during the 38th anniversary reunion of Fiji’s pioneering women soldiers.

“When I came into the military, I just fitted in with what they provided for us.”

Her decision to enlist was not universally welcomed at home. At just 20, she faced resistance from her father when she announced her plans to join the RFMF.

“My father didn’t approve,” she recalled. “But my mother said, ‘Give it a try.’”

She became the first in her family to serve in the military, and the first woman to do so.

Training was demanding and unrelenting. Recruits ran 10 kilometres every Saturday morning and trained alongside male soldiers, competing on equal footing.

“It was very challenging to work in a male-dominated institution,” she said.

“We had to try our best and give our best. Sometimes we competed with the boys during recruit.”

Her service took her beyond Fiji’s shores. In 2003, she became the second female soldier deployed to East Timor and later that year was among the first group of women sent to Iraq.

“I think six of us went to Iraq during that year,” she said.

Now a grandmother of 10, Ms Sakacakau said none of her four children followed her into military service, though they remain fascinated by her experiences.

“When they see my old photos they ask, ‘You held a gun — did you shoot somebody?’” she laughed.

“I tell them, ‘No.’”

Her message to young women considering a career in the forces is simple and encouraging.

“Follow your heart,” she said.

“And just blend in with the system — with what they give you.”