desert institute

M.B. Dallocchio is a Chamorro artist and author who served as a medic, mental health sergeant, and retention NCO in the US Army for eight years. While on deployment to Ramadi, Iraq in 2004-2005, she served as a member of ＂Team Lioness,＂ the first female team that was attached to Marine infantry units to perform checkpoint operations, house raids, and personnel searches on Iraqi women and children for weapons and explosives. After her return in 2006, she pursued studies in international relations as a David L. Boren National Security Education Program language scholar in Europe. At the same time, noticing a need within the Chamorro community, she created the Chamorro Language and Culture blog to aid others in learning the Chamorro language and maintaining Chamorro traditions. She was featured in the 2008 documentary film ＂Lioness,＂ a PBS documentary entitled ＂The Long Road Home,＂ and several books covering women in combat and racial injustice. In 2009, she was awarded the Outstanding Woman Veteran Award by the State of Massachusetts for her service in both the military and the veteran community. Dallocchio is the author of ＂Quixote in Ramadi: An Indigenous Account of Imperialism＂ as well as the Women Warriors chapter of the book, ＂War Trauma and Its Wake.＂ She has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, Las Vegas Review-Journal, PBS, Yahoo! News, and many other media outlets covering facing injustice during and after combat. Dallocchio also speaks out on indigenous rights, imperialism, gender equality, and the importance of self-empowerment. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with her spouse and two children. For more information about M.B. Dallocchio, visit: www.thedesertwarrior.com