Abbas, Amir, 15–21
Abbas, Jamila
director of women’s center in Zabul Province, 140–141
earning extra money, 24–25
escape from Kabul, 15–17
facilitation of escape for abused women, 139, 143–145
as host of radio talk program for women, 164–167, 176–178
in Macroyan neighborhood in Kabul, 11
move to Zabul, 167
Mujahedeen’s search of house in Sheghnan, 22–23
organization of protest march, 166
registration of women to vote, 155–162
rescue of son from Mujahedeen, 23
in Sheghnan, 18–19
Tajikistan, new start in, 25
as Taliban target, 160, 176, 177, 178
as witness to husband’s death, 20–21
women’s center funding, 180
Abu Ghraib, 112
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), 202, 203
Adams, Abigail, quote from, 43
Adams, Fae M., xii
Adams, Sheena
at 2013 State of the Union speech, 214–219
at Camp Pendleton, California, 187–188
as Combat Action Ribbon recipient, 198, 218
desire to be infantry Marine, 46
on extra-long patrol with Marines, 54–58
as FET leader, 59–61
in gunfight with Taliban operatives, 63–66
as helicopter mechanic, 43–45
as IED blast victim, 51–52, 63–64
as Marine of the Year, 198
photograph of bubblegum bubble and Afghan children, 197
previous enlistment, 45
promotion obstacles, xxix, 194–195
report on FETs in sub-Saharan Africa, 187–188, 190, 200
separation from service, 219
struggle to join FET, 46–50
in video about FETs, 200
at Women’s History Month reception, 196–200
Afghan Female Police (AFP)
dangers to, 118–120
diminishing numbers of, 147
expanded responsibilities in Zabul, 123
Afghan Female Police facilities in Zabul, 119
harassment by Taliban, 40
searches of women and children at Tarnak Wa Jaldak clinic, 153
training, 115–117
uniforms for, 122
visits from Rodriguez, 73–74, 103–111
Afghanistan
Afghan National Police (ANP), 104–105, 168, 170
Afghan women’s rights, erosion of, 38–42
American troop surge in, 36–38
burning of Korans by American troops, 129
civilian casualties, 105
coalition casualties, 46
comparison to Vietnam War, 220–221
construction of unwanted town in, 179
dismissal of Afghan guard for sexual harassment of American military female, 69–70
domestic violence in, 163, 176
drone strikes, 37
election fraud and intimidation, 37
Karzai’s refusal to sign Bilateral Security Agreement, 131
Karzai’s withdrawal from peace negotiations, 129–130
Khak Afghan as terrorist center in, 118
lack of education in, 119
lack of females on streets, 84
literacy rates, 105–106
protection of schoolgirls by Afghan Army, 193
sexist cultural norms, 68–70
sexual misconduct reporting, 106
shooting of US soldier by Afghan soldier, 174
slaughter of Afghan civilians by US soldier, 129
terrorist groups’ attraction for young men, 118
terrorist threat to women, 130
US forces in Helmand Province, 53
See also Afghan Female Police; female engagement teams; Mujahedeen; Taliban; US Army; US Marine Corps; US military forces
AFP. See Afghan Female Police
Africa
Adams’s report on FETs in sub-Saharan Africa, 187–188, 190–191, 194, 200
Somalia, female soldiers in, 194
Ugandan women in African Union Army, 194
use of violence and trauma against women and children, 191–192
African Union Army, 194
Agha, Sayed Fazuldin, 128
Al Anbar Province, Iraq, 35
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 202, 203
anchor points, 31
ANP (Afghan National Police), 75, 104–105, 168
Anthony, Susan B., quote from, 67
Apache FOB, Afghanistan, 141, 147, 167, 173–174
Army. See US Army
Army Ranger School
Darby Queen two-mile obstacle course, 226–229
Florida swamps, 229
graduation ceremony, 231–233
peer evaluations, 226
as preparation for 75th Ranger Regiment, 232
prequalification training, 226
women graduates of, xvi, 226, 232
Army Signal Corps, xxi
Aspin, Les, xiii
Assad Air Base, Iraq, 32
Baghdad, Iraq, 35
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, 129
Baldwin, Jane, 135
Bales, Robert, 129
basic training, gender-integrated, xiv, 205–209
Basra, Iraq, 35
Bedell, Zoe, xvi, 202–204, 210
Bibi, 80
meetings with Rodriguez, 76–81, 103–104, 106–107, 109–111
as police officer in Zabul Province, 73–74
threats from Taliban, 147–148
training session with Rodriguez, 115–117
Bibi Khala School, Qalat City, 178–184
Biden, Jill, 196, 198–199, 215, 219
Biden, Joe, 196, 198, 216, 217
Bin Laden, Osama, 117–118
Boehner, John, 217
Boko Haram, 192
bracelets, 195–196
Bragg, Janet, xi
Bray, Linda, xiii
Breslow, Anastasia, 26–28
#bringbackourgirls, 193
Brinkley, W. D., 28–29
Brown, Willa, xi
burqas, 19, 39–40, 73, 103, 115, 122, 148, 154
Bush, George W., 45
C Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1
Cabrey, Mike, 28–29
Camp Belambay, Afghanistan, 129
Camp Junction City FOB, Iraq, 28–29
Camp Pendleton, California, 231
Carlucci, Frank C., xiii
Cathay,William (aka Cathay Williams), x
Charikar, Afghanistan, 16
Chibok Government Girls Secondary School, Nigeria, 192
Chris (Rodriguez’s ex-husband), 91–94, 111–113, 211–213
Civil War, women’s roles in, x
clinic in Tarnak Wa Jaldak, Afghanistan, 149
Clinton, Hillary, 37
Coleman, Melissa, xiv
Combined Task Force Duke, 169
Cook, Tim, 215
Cornum, Rhonda, xiv
Davis, Angela Y., quote from, 26
Dawby, 183–184
Daychopan, Afghanistan, 168, 173
Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, xv
Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California, xix, 97–98
Dempsey, Martin, 216, 217, 218
Department of Defense (DOD), 202, 205, 210, 219
Department of Veterans Affairs, 189
Desert Shield, 206
Desert Storm, 206
dogs, military police (K9s), 82–83
Farah Province, Afghanistan, xv
Farrell, Colleen, xvi, 202–203, 210
female engagement teams (FETs)
Army restrictions on, 84–86
assessment by ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), 191
bracelets, 195–196
building relationships with local people, 30–31
combat readiness training, 32–33
construction of unwanted water wells, 180
finding anchor points, 31
first group of, 29
“Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan” (Defense Intelligence Agency report), 31
as foundation for equal treatment of women in military, 34, 224
increased support from US Army, 147
intelligence collection by, xv, xviii–xxi, 59–61, 127, 149–151, 173–174, 191
lack of logistical and strategic support from US military, 34, 47–48, 69, 84–86, 89, 101
mission of, 47
need for female presence on patrols, 28–31
plan to turn FET duties over to unready Afghan forces, 190–191
program ended by Marine Corps in 2013, 219
radio ads in support of, 165
raid on house in Zabul, Afghanistan, 1–7
rebuilding trust in Iraq, 46
renovation of Bibi Khala School, 182–183
return of FETs to Afghanistan by Marine Corps in 2015, 227
sexual harassment and intimidation by Afghan soldiers, 69
shura mission in Tarnak Wa Jaldak, 147
SOP (standard operating procedure) for, 95–97
struggle for legitimacy, 89–90
in sub-Saharan Africa, 190, 191, 194
at traffic checkpoint in Habbaniyah, Iraq, 33
training female Afghan police officers, 106
value of, 143
visits with Afghan policewomen, 77–81, 103–111
FET. See female engagement teams
1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 28
1st Battalion, 8th Marines, 45, 54, 57, 58, 59
1st Combat Team, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, 28
1st Marine Expeditionary Force, 45
1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 68, 90, 211
“Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan” (Defense Intelligence Agency report), 31
Flynn, Michael T., 30, 31, 191
FOB Apache, Afghanistan, 141, 147, 167, 173–174
FOB Camp Junction City, Iraq, 28–29
FOB Hammer, Afghanistan, 133
FOB Lagman, Afghanistan, 69, 82, 85, 100, 111, 116
FOB Shir Ghazay, Afghanistan, 55, 58–59
Fort Benning, Georgia, 225, 231, 233
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 133–134
Fort Drum, New York, 133
Fort Huachuca, Arizona, 132
Fort Jackson, South Carolina, xiv, 205–206, 209
Fort Knox, Kentucky, 132, 133, 134, 136
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, 213
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, xiv
Fort Wainwright, Alaska, 90, 91, 94
Friedan, Betty, quote from, 11
frontlines, xiii–xiv, 28, 205, 206, 210, 223
genital mutilation, 193
Ghol, 158
Granada, xiii
Griest, Kristen, xvi, 225–230, 232–233
guerilla tactics, xix
Gulf War, women in, xiii–xiv, 206
Guttormsen, Kate, 28
Habbaniyah, Iraq, 33
Haditha, 144–145
Haring, Ellen, 135
al-Hashimi, Aquila, 35
#bringbackourgirls, 193
Haver, Shaye, xvi, 225–226, 228–230, 232–233
headscarves, 70
Hegar, Mary Jennings, xvi, 189, 202, 210
Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 51–53, 55, 118–119, 152, 189, 203
Helmand River Valley, Afghanistan, 153
Hester, Leigh Ann, xv
Hobby, Oveta Culp, quote from, 132
honor killings, 35
Hunt, Jennifer, xvi, 201–202, 210
IEDs (improvised explosive devices), xviii, 2, 26, 33, 53, 56, 61, 152, 168, 187, 201, 203, 223, 230
Independent Election Commission, 130
Indurfurth, Karl, 130
intelligence collection, xv, xviii–xxi, 58–61, 127, 149–151, 173–174, 191
intelligence problems, 31–33
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) expansion of FET mission, 33–34, 52–53, 88, 191
internet, use of in terrorism recruitment, xix
interpreters. See translators/interpreters
Iraq
FET trust-building in, 46
FETs at traffic checkpoint in Habbaniyah, 33
Islamic Army, 45
Operation Desert Strike, xvii
Operation Iraqi Freedom, 222
violence against women in, 35
Iraq War, xiv–xvi, 27–28, 45–46
Isaacson, Jamie, 198
ISAF (International Security Assistance Force), 33–34, 52–53, 88, 191
ISIS (Islamic State), in Afghanistan, 45, 118, 149, 221
ISIS (Islamic State) in Nigeria, 192
Islamic Army, Iraq, 45
Ismaili Muslims, 18
Jamila. See Abbas, Jamila
Janowski, Michael, 229
Jaster, Lisa, 232–233
Johnson, Lyndon, 101
kabal, xxii
Kabul, Afghanistan, 11–15, 17, 19, 20
al-Kafaji, Salama, 34–35
Kagan, Elena, 216
Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, 124, 149, 152
Kentucky National Guard 617th Military Police Company, xv
Khak Afghan, Afghanistan, 118
Klijn, Floortje, 39–41, 106, 119, 120
Korean War, women’s roles in, xii
K9s (military police dogs), 82–83
Lagman FOB, Afghanistan, 69, 82, 100, 111
Lincoln, Abraham, quote from, xvii
Lioness, Team, xiv–xv
Long War Journal (website), 128
Manning, Bradley, 31
Marine Corps. See US Marine Corps
Mawlid al-Sharif holiday, 17–19
Migdal, Ariela, 203
military. See US military forces
Military Leadership Diversity Commission, xv
military Times, xxiv
Miller, Scott, 231–232
mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles. See MRAPs
Morgan, Shannon, 27–28
MRAPs (mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles), 51–52, 53–54, 61–64
Mujahedeen
control of Kandahar by, 11
murder of Amir Abbas, 20–21
overthrow by Taliban, 40
rules affecting women, 18–19
search of Jamila’s house, 22–23
Multi-National Forces West, 32
Murad, Murad Ali, 131
Musa Qal’ah, Afghanistan, 51–55, 58, 60
Najaf, Iraq, 34–35
Najibullah, Mohammad (aka Najib), 11–14
Naseri, Mohammad Ashraf, 74, 120–121
National Democratic Institute, 130
National Guard, 204
National Institutes of Health, study of female veterans by, 189
Nava, Rebecca, 28
Naw Bahar, Afghanistan, 82
Nelson, Angela, 198
Nigeria, 192
988th Military Police Company, xiii
Noorzai, Mirwais Khan, 40, 117–120
Nuristan, Afghanistan, 106
Nurse Corps, x–xi
nurses in Vietnam, 205
Operation Desert Strike, xvii
Operation Enduring Freedom, 222
Operation Iraqi Freedom, 222
Pakistan, 12, 30, 37, 149, 160
Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF), xiii
Panetta, Leon, xvi, 131, 135, 216, 221
Panj Sher, Afghanistan, 106
Panjwai, Afghanistan
classes for women in, 125–129
as cradle of Taliban insurgency, 124
governor’s radio announcement about FET’s classes, 128
Pankhurst, Emmeline, quote, 225
Pashtun areas, Afghanistan, 38, 41
Pentagon
admission that women had been participating in ground conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, 188
consequences of closing off combat opportunities for women, 202
lawsuit against, 201
lifting of Army Ranger School’s gender ban, 232
permission for women to collocate with direct ground combat units, 209
recognition of women’s value in military, 189
poppy fields, 52
Pullen, Ashley J., xv
Qalat City, Afghanistan, 74, 86, 147, 152, 164, 166, 167, 175, 178
racial segregation in military, xi
radios, importance of to Afghan women, 175–177
RAND National Defense Research Institute report, xv
Ranger School. See Army Ranger School
Revolutionary War, women’s roles in, x
Rivers, Eileen, xxii–xxiii
in gender-integrated basic training class, xiv, 205–209
publication of soldiers’ war stories and photos, xxiv–xxvi
Roberts, John, 216
rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), 168, 173
Rodriguez, Maria
attendance at Command and General Staff Officers’ Course, 211, 213
children of, 91–94, 108–109, 111–112
Chris’s death, 213
classes for women in Panjwai, 126–129
conversation with elder in Panjwai, 124–126
FET standard operating procedure (SOP) development, 95–97
at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, 90, 91, 94
gathering information from Panjwai women, 126–127
as head of force protection at FOB Lagman, 83, 85
marriages, 90–94
meetings with provincial governor of Zabul, 67–68, 70–75, 120–122
military background, 68
move to Georgia, 213
new relationship with ex-husband Chris, 211–212
at raid on house in Zabul, Afghanistan, 1–7
San Francisco assignment, 89
seeking volunteers for FET program, 98–100
Special Forces soldiers threat at detention facility, 112–113
training Afghan Female Police (AFP) officers, 115–117
training in Mojave Desert, 100–102
uniforms obtained for Afghan Female Police officers, 122
visits with Afghan policewomen, 77–81, 103–111
waiting for convoys, 82–87, 100, 102
Romanian female soldiers, 115–117
RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), 168, 173
Ruthig, Ranie, 27–28
Sahdo, Edna, 140, 141, 142, 153, 177
Salaam Bazaar, Afghanistan, 51, 52, 54, 62
Sampson, Deborah (aka Robert Shurtleff), ix–x
Sapp, Joseph, xvi
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Light Infantry, 135–136
Service Women’s Action Network, 202
Shah Joy, Afghanistan, 152, 155–158
Shah (Najib’s brother), 13–14
Sheghnan, Afghanistan, 17–19
Shinkay, Afghanistan, 82
Shir Ghazay FOB, Afghanistan, 55, 58–59
shura, male, 169–170
shuras, women’s, 146, 152–163, 178
Shurtleff, Robert (aka Deborah Sampson), ix–x
60 Minutes (TV program), 54
Smoke, Johanna
assignment to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 132–133
attempt to get WITA orders changed, 136
attendance at male shura in Daychopan, 169–170
as Combat Action Badge recipient, 135
conversation with suspected Taliban operative, 171–172
duality of missions, 151
FET responsibilities of, 29–30
at Fort Knox, 136–137
funding for school renovation, 181–183
gift from Jamila Abbas, 141–142
intelligence gathering at male shura, 173–174
intelligence-gathering through conversations with village women, 149–151
as intelligence officer, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Light Infantry, 135
marriage and divorce, 133
military career, 134–135
opinion of Women in the Army (WITA) program, 134–136
persuasion of Afghan general to have women’s center van repaired, 144
placement in WITA program, 134, 135
on positive military changes since Vietnam War, 221
rebuilding Afghan Female Police force in Zabul, 148
renovation of Bibi Khala School, 182–183
renovation of women’s center in Zabul, 141–142
shura mission in Tarnak Wa Jaldak, 147, 152–163
with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, 221
on withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, 221
Snowden, Edward, 31
Somali National Army, 194
Somalia, female soldiers in, 194
Spirit of America grants, 181, 183
State of the Union speech, 2013, 214–219
Taliban
Abbas family’s escape from, 15–17
aggression against women and children, 38, 40–42
assassination of Najib, 12–15
attack on American troops at Salaam Bazaar, 51–52, 64–66
attempt to rid Zabul Province of female police, 147–148
bringing bombs into Afghanistan from Pakistan, 30
conflict with ISIS, 118
death threats for Jamila Abbas, 160, 176, 177, 178
declining infrastructures, 104
in disguise as Afghan police, 37
elections, disruption of, 37, 71, 130–131
as enemy of Mujahedeen, 20, 22
goals of, 84
justification for violence to prevent women from working, 119
opium trade, 52–53
Pakistan as refuge, 37
restrictions on citizens, 14–15
school destruction by, 193
strongholds in Helmand Province, 52–53
use of women’s bodies for hiding documents and small objects, xix
withdrawal from peace negotiations, 129–130
women, effect of policies on, xix, 5, 47, 119
in Zabul Province, 117–118, 152
Talibjan, Afghanistan, 55, 57–58
Tarnak Wa Jaldak, Afghanistan, 147, 149–150, 152, 155, 158–159
Team Lioness (documentary film), 28
Telegraph, on death threats to Afghan police woman, 118–119
terrorists
Boko Haram, 192
collecting intelligence on, xvii–xviii, xix
Khak Afghan as center of terrorists, 118
as threat to women, 130
use of female bodies for hiding documents, xix
See also Mujahedeen; Taliban
Thacker, Tony, 68, 71–75, 81, 107–108, 113, 121
3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, xv
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, 132, 168, 221
Thompson, Shayna, 150, 157, 161–163
translators/interpreters, xix, 3–6, 32, 60–62, 72, 75, 79, 103, 106–107, 109–110, 125, 129, 140, 142, 153, 163, 171–172, 178
traumatic brain injuries, 54, 66
Tuskegee Institute, xi
Ugandan women in African Union Army, 194
United Nations (UN), call for more female forces by, 194
US Army
all combat roles opened to women in 2016, 222
end to legal discrimination against women, 224
establishment of Team Lioness program, xiv–xv, 34
gender-integrated basic training, xiv, 205–206
raid on house in Zabul, 1–7
Ranger School opened to women, 222
shooting of US soldier by Afghan soldier, 174
slaughter of Afghan civilians by US soldier, 129
Women in the Army (WITA) program, 134
US Marine Corps
establishment of FET (aka Iraqi Women’s Engagement) program, xv, 30
FET program ended in 2013, 219
plan to turn FET duties over to unready Afghan forces, 190–191
return of FETs to Afghanistan in 2015, 227
women in ground combat units, 223
burning of Korans at Bagram Air Base, 129
construction of unwanted town in Afghanistan, 179
in Helmand Province, 51, 52–53
hypocrisy of, xxi–xxii
K9s (military police dogs), 82–83
male-dominated culture of, 88–89, 101
positive changes since Vietnam War, 221
sexual harassment in, 101, 204
unsustainable American thinking, 179
See also female engagement teams; women, US military
USA TODAY, xxiii–xxvii, 53, 54
Vietnam War, women’s roles in, xii
Voltaire, quote from, 1
Walker, Mary, 198
Warda, Pascal, 35
Washington Post, interview with female soldiers, 202
WASPs (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots), xi
West Point, xiii, 28, 36, 223, 229–230, 233
“What Do You Do with a WAC?” (Racial Equality and Equal Opportunity Division of Fort Knox), 204
Williams, Cathay (aka William Cathay), x
WITA (Women in the Army program), 134
women, Afghan
Afghan Female Police (AFP), 40, 73–74, 103–111, 115–117
dangers for police women, 106, 118–120
drug use, 158
economic empowerment of, 47, 97, 126, 128
effect of Taliban policies on, xix, 5, 47, 119
erosion of rights, 38–42
isolation of, 175–176
Mujahedeen rules for, 18–19
poverty, effects of, 152–153
preference for walking a distance to get water, 180
radio talk program for, 164–167, 175–176
terrorist threats to, 130
“Women and the Afghan Police: Why a Law Enforcement Agency That Respects and Protects Females Is Crucial for Progress” (Oxfam report), 106
women, Iraqi, violence against, 35
women, US military
acknowledgment of women as mission critical, xv
African-American women in military, xi
all combat roles in US Army opened to women in 2016, xii, xvi, 222
as Army Maneuver Captains Career Course graduates, 222
as Army Ranger School graduates, 222
battle readiness, need for, xviii
better access to healthcare as veterans, 189, 223
brass and Kevlar ceilings, 202–203, 222
change in assignment policy, xiv
in combat, x, xii–xvi, 32, 88–89, 134–135, 194, 202–203, 223
enlistment in infantry occupational specialty, 222–223
equal enlistment qualifications for men and women, xii
gender-integrated basic training, xiv, 205–209
as helicopter pilots in combat, 205
history of in military, ix–xvi
in Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, xiv–xvi
mandatory basic training equal to enlisted men, 205
in Marine Corps ground combat units, 223
men’s attitude toward females’ ability to achieve, 208
in National Guard, 204
National Institutes of Health, study of female veterans by, 189
as Officer’s Candidate School graduates, 223
opportunities for advancement, 101
percentage of women in forces deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, xiv
permission to collocate with direct ground combat units, 209
PTSD, 101
restrictions on ability to move up in ranks, 205, 209
in ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps), 223
as West Point graduates, xii, 28, 223, 229–230, 233
See also female engagement teams
Women in the Army (WITA) program, 134
Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), xi
Women’s Armed Service Integration Act of 1948, xii
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (later Women’s Army Corps), xi, xii, 204
World Wars I and II, women’s roles in, xi
Zabul Province, Afghanistan
Afghan Female Police (AFP) training session, 115–117
American raid on house in Zabul, 1–7
expanded responsibilities for female police, 123
female police officers’ facilities, 119
FET visits with Afghan policewomen, 77–81, 103–111
male shura, 168–170
police force in, 118
Rodriguez’s meetings with provincial governor, 67–68, 70–75, 120–122
sexual assaults on women police, 106, 119–120
women’s shura, 152–155