A video produced by NATO for International Women's Day tells her engaging story (click above to watch).
"We had this period when we weren’t independent and we lost a lot of things, and this is the chance to learn and to prove ourselves," she says.
In addition to serving in the army since the age of 21, Ieva is also a basketball player, a pastime she has been engaged in since childhood.
"I think basketball was also one of the things who helped me during the boot camp, these physical things. In that school I learned also how to be sure about things what I am doing," says Ieva.
