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| Iraq |
| Women Take on Major Battlefield Roles |
| 2006-12-03 |
| By the very SAME Sharon Cohen (AP) from the "Emotional Rollercoaster story... A goodwill mission to deliver kerosene heaters to Iraqi schools erupts into the fiery chaos of a roadside bombing _ and Maj. Mary Prophit shields a comrade so he can rescue a critically burned Iraqi soldier. A convoy outside Baghdad is ambushed by machine-gun wielding Iraqi insurgents - and Spc. Ashley Pullen races down a road to save an injured sergeant. A Black Hawk helicopter is struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq - and co-pilot Tammy Duckworth, bloody and severely wounded, struggles to stay conscious until the damaged aircraft is down and her crew is safe. In Iraq and Afghanistan, women warriors are writing a new chapter in military history, serving by the tens of thousands, fending off enemy fire and taking on - and succeeding in - high-profile roles in the battlefield and the skies as never before. "The American public is beginning to realize that women are playing an equal part in this war and that they are facing the same risks," says Duckworth, who lost both legs in the 2004 insurgent attack. "This is the first time in our nation's history ... when it's normal to see female names as part of the war wounded or those killed in action." |
| Posted by:.com |
| #3 Beo: This is perhaps an unintended consequence of all the women's lib actions of the past. But please remember, all these women are in place voluntarily; not one was drafted, in fact they cannot register for the selective service. The real shame is that the name of those wounded or killed are Americans, regardless of gender. |
| Posted by: USN,Ret 2006-12-03 21:50 |
| #2 Beo, in Afghanistan they are called FOBRATS. Stay safe. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-12-03 10:18 |
| #1 This is the first time in our nation's history ... when it's Just the humble opinion of an old man eating dust as a "fobbit" in a northern kill zone. *Fobbit: Forward Operating base inhabitant/REMF who seldom if ever leaves the wire. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-12-03 09:49 |