"Pregnancy could lead to court-martial" by Associated Press | December 19, 2009
WASHINGTON - A US Army general in northern Iraq has added pregnancy to the list of reasons a soldier under his command could be court-martialed.
The new policy.... would apply to female soldiers who become pregnant on the battlefield and the male soldiers who impregnate them....
--more--"Oh, what it must be like to be a woman in the Army:
"Female veterans don’t feel at home; Say appreciation for roles lacking" by Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press | December 15, 2009
WASHINGTON - Nobody wants to buy them a beer.
Even near military bases, female veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t often offered a drink on the house as a welcome home.
More than 230,000 American women have fought in those recent wars and at least 120 have died doing so, yet the public still doesn’t completely understand their contributions on the modern battlefield. For some, it’s a lonely transition as they struggle to find their place.
Aimee Sherrod, an Air Force veteran who did three war tours, said years went by when she didn’t tell people she was a veteran. After facing sexual harassment during two tours and mortar attacks in Iraq, the 29-year-old mother of two from Bells, Tenn., was medically discharged in 2005 with post-traumatic stress disorder.
She is haunted by nightmares and wakes up some nights thinking she’s under attack. She’s moody as a result of post-traumatic stress and can’t function enough to work or attend college. Like some other veterans, she felt she improperly received a low disability rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs that left her with a token monthly payment.
Related: Denying the Troops
She was frustrated that her paperwork mentioned she was pregnant, a factor she thought was irrelevant. “I just gave up on it and I didn’t tell anyone about ever being in the military because I was so ashamed over everything,’’ Sherrod said.
Then Jo Eason, a Nashville lawyer working pro bono through the Lawyers Serving Warriors program, stepped in a few years later and Sherrod began taking home a heftier monthly disability payment.
“I’ve never regretted my military service, I’m glad I did it,’’ Sherrod said. “I’m not ashamed of my service. I’m ashamed to try and tell people about it because it’s like, well, why’d you get out?’’
?????????
I'm sorry; sometimes I just don't understand you ladies.
The Defense Department bars women from serving in assignments where the primary mission is to engage in direct ground combat. But the nature of the recent conflicts, with no clear front lines, puts women in the middle of the action, in roles such as military police officers, pilots, drivers, and gunners on convoys. In addition to the 120-plus deaths, more than 650 women have been wounded.
It saddens me that the woman's rights movement views combat as the definition of equality.
Why drag yourselves down to our murderous level?
Why not take the OPPOSING VIEW for NONVIOLENCE?
After all, there are ALSO Muslim WOMEN and GIRLS under those sieges and bombs!
Sort of exposes them for what they truly are, doesn't it?
Back home, women face many of the same issues as the men, but the personal stakes may be greater. Female service members have much higher rates of divorce and are more likely to be a single parent.
Related: Deploying For the Decider
When they do seek help at VA medical centers, they are screening positive at a higher rate for military sexual trauma, meaning they indicated experiencing sexual harassment, assault, or rape.
That going to get her a court-martial, too?
Some studies have shown that female veterans are at greater risk for homelessness....
Related: The Fighting Females of Camp Homeless
--more--"
Also see: Occupation Iraq: The Party's Over
