As detailed in the Preface, this book is the outgrowth of a multimedia project I started for USA TODAY in 2009, and most of the information recounted in this book comes from diary entries and extensive interviews with the women featured, other women who spoke about their experiences mainly on background, a male military intelligence source who worked with FETs (but wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the information he disclosed), film documentarians of the experiences of women in the military, and Afghanistan’s Zabul Province police chief. Interviews were conducted by phone, in person, and by email.
Much of the information contained in the chronology, unless otherwise noted, was culled from four primary sources: Women in the Army, army.mil/women; Restrictions on Assignments of Military Women: A Brief History, a report from the National Women’s Law Center; Megan Eckstein, “Timeline: Women in Combat Roles,” USNI News, September 21, 2015; and William Abbatt, The Female Review: The Life of Deborah Sampson, the Female Soldier in the War of the Revolution, a reprint of the original book by Herman Mann (Applewood Books, 1916).
Quotes used at the beginning of each chapter were pulled from two primary sources: Simon Sebag Montefiore, Speeches That Changed the World (Metro Books, 2013) and brainyquote.com.
CHRONOLOGY
acknowledged for her service through a military pension: “Cathay Williams,” National Park Service, nps.gov/people/cwilliams.htm.
Bragg said much later: “Janet Harmon Bragg: Pioneering African American Aviator,” Smithsonian Institution Archives, https://siarchives.si.edu/blog/janet-harmon-bragg-female-aviator.
A racially segregated Army also denied the commercial pilot entry into the WASPs: Ibid.
Captain Linda Bray leads her military police unit: Michael R. Gordon, “Noriega’s Surrender: Army; For First Time, a Woman Leads G.I.’s in Combat,” New York Times, January 4, 1990, www.nytimes.com/1990/01/04/world/noriega-s-surrender-army-for-first-time-a-woman-leads-gi-s-in-combat.html.
modern-day war in which women were held hostage: “Abused Gulf War POW Describes Her Ordeal; Flight Surgeon Says It’s All a Part of War,” Baltimore Sun, June 29, 1992, http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-06-29/news/1992181107_1_cornum-gulf-war-prisoner-of-war.
Team Lioness: Lioness, documentary film, Room 11 Productions, 2008.
She’s one of the best in the company: Dave Phillips, “For Army Infantry’s 1st Women, Heavy Packs and the Weight of History,” New York Times, May 26, 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/us/for-army-infantrys-1st-women-heavy-packs-and-the-weight-of-history.html.
PREFACE
President Bill Clinton’s late 1996 cruise missile and air attack: “U.S. Attack on Iraq,” C-SPAN, September 3, 1996, www.c-span.org/video/?74762-1/us-attack-iraq.
International Security Assistance Force directive: Gina Maria O. Jones, Female Engagement Teams: Making the Case for Institutionalization Based on U.S. Security Objectives in Africa, School of Advanced Military Studies, US Army Command and General Staff College, 2013.
CHAPTER 1. THE FIRST RUN
The insurgent group’s first political move was to assassinate Najib: Terrence White, “Flashback: When the Taleban Took Kabul,” BBC News, October 15, 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1600136.stm.
A few years later some of those same people would long for the former leader’s return: Ali M Latifi, “Executed Afghan President Stages ‘Comeback,’” Aljazeera, June 22, 2012, www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/06/2012618134838393817.html.
CHAPTER 3. THE BEGINNING OF FEMALE ENGAGEMENT
The Ar Ramadi operation was one of the bloodiest battles in Iraq: Lioness, documentary.
Our intelligence apparatus: Major General Michael T. Flynn, Captain Matt Pottinger, and Paul D. Batchelor, “Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan,” report from the Center for a New American Security, January 2010.
Parliamentary candidate Salama al-Khafaji: “A Face and a Name: Civilian Victims of Insurgent Groups in Iraq,” Human Rights Watch, 17, no. 9 (October 2005), www.hrw.org/reports/2005/iraq1005/iraq1005.pdf; Anthony H. Cordesman and Emma R. Davies, Iraq’s Insurgency and the Road to Civil Conflict, vol. 1 (Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 2007).
survived several assassination attempts: “Pascal Warde: Serving in Politics and Surviving Assassination Attempts in Iraq,” Religion and Ethics Report, ABC, www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/religionand ethicsreport/pascal-warda-iraqi-politics-and-surviving-assassination-attempts/7034314.
CHAPTER 4. THE SURGE IN AFGHANISTAN
he announced the largest surge in the war’s history: “President Obama on the Way Forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” The Obama White House, December 2, 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZLVqhsLgIw.
the number of troops on the ground: CBS News, “The War in Afghanistan: A Timeline,” CBS News, December 1, 2009, www.cbsnews.com/news/the-war-in-afghanistan-a-timeline; “Timeline of the Major Events in the Iraq War,” New York Times, August 31, 2010, www.nytimes.com/inter active/2010/08/31/world/middleeast/20100831-Iraq-Timeline.html ?mcubz=1#/#time111_3262.
drone strikes were failing: Spencer Ackerman, “41 Men Targeted but 1,147 People Killed: US Drone Strikes—The Facts on the Ground,” Guardian, November 24, 2014, https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/41-men-targeted-but-1-147-people-killed-us-drone-strikes-the-facts-on-the-ground.439795.
Western values… that Afghans strongly espoused under the Daoud government: “Timeline of Women’s Rights in Afghanistan,” PBS.org, October 25, 2011, www.pbs.org/wnet/women-war-and-peace/uncategorized/timeline-of-womens-rights-in-afghanistan.
CHAPTER 5. ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A COMBAT FIGHTER
lost their lives in Afghanistan in 2010: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, icasu alties.org.
CHAPTER 6. THE LONG MARCH
The three-day battle, waged from December 7 to 10, 2007: Noor Khan, “50 Taliban Killed After Musa Qala Fight,” Washington Post, December 12, 2007.
roadside bombs had killed three thousand: Gregg Zoroya, “How the IED Changed the U.S. Military,” USA TODAY, December 18, 2013, www.usa today.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/18/ied-10-years-blast-wounds-amputations/3803017.
“suicide missions”: Rebecca Leung, “GIs Lack Armor, Radios, Bullets,” 60 Minutes, October 31, 2004, www.cbsnews.com/news/gis-lack-armor-radios-bullets-31-10-2004.
In three hundred attacks on Marine MRAPs: Tom Vanden Brook, “New Vehicles Protect Marines in 300 Attacks,” USA TODAY, June 28, 2007, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-04-18-marines-new-vehicles_N.htm.
CHAPTER 10. BREAKTHROUGH
according to a 2013 Oxfam report: Louise Hancock, “Women and the Afghan Police,” Oxfam, September 10, 2013, www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/research-publications/women-and-the-afghan-police.
In 2010, 2,777 civilians were killed in Afghanistan: Laura King, “U.N.: 2010 Deadliest Year for Afghan Civilians,” Los Angeles Times, March 10, 2011, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/10/world/la-fg-afghan-civilian-deaths-20110310.
provided billions to the Afghan Security Forces Fund: “FY2005 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan, Tsunami Relief, and Other Activities,” CRS Report for Congress, May 12, 2005.
CHAPTER 12. BUSINESSES MORE IMPORTANT THAN BOMBS
Sergeant Robert Bales walked a mile: James Dao, “Soldier Is Expected to Plead Guilty in Afghan Massacre,” New York Times, May 29, 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/us/staff-sgt-robert-bales-to-plead-guilty-in-afghan-massacre.html.
CHAPTER 13. VERY OLD CONCEPT, VERY NEW MISSION
women are contributing in unprecedented ways: “Women in Combat” news conference, with Defense Secretary Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Martin Dempsey, C-SPAN, January 24, 2013, www.c-span.org/video/?310586-1/women-combat.
CHAPTER 17. AN UNEXPECTED RUN-IN
the Afghan government cut funds to the district: Ben Brody, “At Remote Afghan Base, U.S. Troops Locked in Battle for Hearts and Minds,” PRI.org, August 6, 2011, www.pri.org/stories/2011-08-06/remote-afghan-base-us-troops-locked-battle-hearts-and-minds.
CHAPTER 19. PROMOTE OR PERISH
Boko Haram has destroyed more than a thousand schools: “10 Countries Where Girls’ Education Has Been Under Attack,” ReliefWeb, March 10, 2017, https://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/10-countries-where-girls-education-has-been-under-attack.
After negotiations only twenty-one girls were released: Hilary Matfess, “Three Years Later, a Look at the #BringBackOurGirls Catch-22,” Daily Beast, April 14, 2017, www.thedailybeast.com/three-years-later-a-look-at-the-bringbackourgirls-catch-22.
Limited US military assistance, which has included: Warren Strobel, “Obama Sends U.S. Troops, Drones to Cameroon in Anti-Boko Haram Fight,” Reuters, October 14, 2015, www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-bokoharam-usa/obama-sends-u-s-troops-drones-to-cameroon-in-anti-boko-haram-fight-idUSKCN0S823F20151014; Adam Taylor, “MAP: The U.S. Military Currently Has Troops in These African Countries,” Washington Post, May 21, 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/news/world views/wp/2014/05/21/map-the-u-s-currently-has-troops-in-these-african-countries/?utm_term=.a30599d29ed1.
The terror group al-Shabaab… gained a foothold in Somalia: “Who Are Somalia’s al-Shabab?” BBC News, December 22, 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15336689.
control and terrify women, including public stoning for adultery: “Rape Victim Stoned to Death in Somalia Was 13, U.N. Says,” New York Times, November 4, 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/world/africa/05 somalia.html.
according to a report by the Thomson Reuters Foundation: TrustLaw, “FACTSHEET—The World’s Most Dangerous Countries for Women,” Thomson Reuters Foundation News,” June 15, 2011, http://news.trust.org//item/?map=factsheet-the-worlds-most-dangerous-countries-for-women.
The death rate for women during pregnancy is one in twelve: “Child and Maternal Health,” Unicef, Somalia, www.unicef.org/somalia/health_53.html.
Women from Uganda are taking on expanded roles: “Somalia—Uganda Women of African Union Troops Fight Al Shabab for Somalia Peace, Rights, Women,” WUNRN, November 17, 2016, http://wunrn.com/2016/11/somalia-uganda-women-of-african-union-troops-fight-al-shabab-for-somalia-peace-rights-women.
The UN has been calling for more female forces: “Landmark Resolution on Women, Peace and Security,” OSAGI, www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/wps.
becoming a staff sergeant after ten years in the Marines: “MCBUL 5314 Enlisted Career Force Controls (ECFC) Program,” Marines, September 16, 2015, www.marines.mil/News/Messages/Messages-Display/Article/897415/mcbul-5314-enlisted-career-force-controls-ecfc-program.
CHAPTER 20. LAWSUIT—PUSHING AGAINST THE BRASS CEILING
“still get looked at more favorably”: Laird Harrison, “SF Lawsuit Demands Combat Roles for Women,” KQED, November 27, 2012.
“The shrapnel that tore through the vehicle that day”: Craig Whitlock, “Four Female Service Members Sue over Pentagon’s Combat-Exclusion Policy,” Washington Post, November 27, 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/four-female-service-members-sue-over-penta gons-combat-exclusion-policy/2012/11/27/460cf994-38da-11e2-83f9-fb 7ac9b29fad_story.html?utm_term=.aebd6b6a375a.
Ariela Migdal, senior staff lawyer: James Dao, “Servicewomen File Suit Over Direct Combat Ban,” New York Times, November 27, 2017, www.ny times.com/2012/11/28/us/servicewomen-file-suit-over-direct-combat-ban.html.
That year there were close to 150,000 troops: Alan McLean and Archie Tse, “American Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq,” New York Times, June 22, 2011, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/06/22/world/asia/american-forces-in-afghanistan-and-iraq.html.
Bedell was in charge of forty-seven women: “Women in Combat: Zoe Bedell at TEDxHarvard Law School,” TEDx Talks, YouTube, May 2, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsyJl98XGqk.
Farrell managed up to twenty women: Colleen Farrell, “Let My Marines Do Their Jobs,” ACLU, July 1, 2013, www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/let-my-marines-do-their-jobs.
The more they traveled, the greater their risk: Ibid.
“What Do You Do with a WAC?”: Combat Integration Handbook, 1st ed., September 2016, p. 4, http://wiisglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Combat-Integration-Handbook_Sept.20161.pdf.
CHAPTER 22. STATE OF THE UNION
Obama… thanked the joint houses of Congress. The applause began to ebb: “Watch President Obama Deliver the 2013 State of the Union Address,” PBS NewsHour, February 12, 2013, www.youtube.com/watch ?v=bvK-o6u82tI&t=13s.
“Fifty-one years ago John F. Kennedy declared: “Remarks by the President in the State of the Union Address,” White House, February 12, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/remarks-president-state-union-address.
EPILOGUE
to capture the stories of the two women: “Trailblazers: Two Women Pass Army Rangers School,” CBS Evening News, August 20, 2015, www.you tube.com/watch?v=52wWxY9PgdA.
And for other women who have that same goal in mind: Matthew Cox, “Two Women Make History by Graduating Army Ranger School,” Military.com, August 21, 2015, www.military.com/daily-news/2015/08/21/two-women-make-history-by-graduating-army-ranger-school.html.
A failing score in phase one can get a soldier: Michelle Tan, “Army Stats: Women Performed Comparably to Men in Ranger School,” Army Times, November 11, 2015, www.armytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2015/11/11/army-statswomen-performed-comparably-to-men-in-ranger-school.
US Army Ranger Creed: “Ranger Creed,” Army, www.army.mil/values/ranger.html.