Aim: This study aimed to investigate the individual impact of military exercises and gender differences in cortisol secretion among military personnel, before, immediately after, and three times during recovery, to understand the physiological and psychological character of stress and the recovery from field exercise.Methods: Cortisol levels in saliva samples were collected from military conscripts(n=22) at five different time points associated with a field exercise: before the exercise, immediately after, and at three intervals during the recovery period. These measurements were chosen to capture both immediate and long-term changes in cortisol levels. Data were analyzed using Mixed ANOVA to compare cortisol levels over time within individuals and between biological genders. The analysis allows for a detailed examination of how cortisol levels change over time and how these changes may differ between males and females, providing a comprehensive view of stress response and recovery. Results: The within-subjects factor showed a significant interaction between time and cortisol secretion, with an F-value of 7.340 showing distinct physiological mechanisms for stress recovery (P < 0.001). Eta Squared (η²), revealed 20.9% of the variance in cortisol secretion levels can be attributed to the factor of time. No statistically significant gender differences in cortisol secretion were found at the measured time points (P = 0.511), suggesting a similar physiological response to stress induced by military field exercises across genders. Conclusion: This study contributes to an understanding of recovery from extreme stress, highlighting the complexity of stress and recovery processes between genders during field exercises. The findings suggest that both male and female military personnel experience similar responses to the stress induced by military field exercises, as indicated by cortisol secretion patterns. Keywords: Cortisol, Recovery, Stress, Gender