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Women at war. On the frontlines, the roles of men and women in combat are blurring무감각하게하다. At the White House today, president Obama held a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the latest high level briefing, as he decides what to do next in Afghanistan and how many more American men and women to send to war. And women are at war. They’re not supposed to be in combat, but in wars with no frontlines, they inevitably필연적으로 are. In her extensive travels through the region, our senior foreign correspondent Martha Reddatz has met many of the women in uniform.

 

The image of young women in a hot dusty combat zone toting더하다 automatic weapons is still startling to some. But right now there are 10,000 women serving in Iraq, more than 4,000 in Afghanistan. “I can’t help thinking that most Americans think that women are in combat.” “We’re here. And we’re right up….right up with the guys.” 103 women have been killed in Iraq. 15 in Afghanistan. And hundreds more injured. Women are technically barred from combat ground units, but the frontlines in these wars are blurred.

 

Women face combat as aviators, military police, intelligence and civil affairs officers. These marines in Afghanistan are part of female engagement teams reaching out to local Muslim women covering their own hair in the process. The Taliban took everything from us, says this woman. They’ve taken our men. They’ve taken our children.

 

The Marine Corps teams are considered a success, but on these and many other missions, the danger is always present. 19-year-old army medic Monica Brown used her body to shield five wounded soldiers. “That was my only concern as making sure everyone got out of there, you know, as fast as possible.” “You didn’t think about the danger, though?” “No”

And Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester’s convoy was ambushed in Iraq. “We first started taking fire, I just looked to the right and saw seven or eight guys shooting back at us muzzle총구 flashes섬광." Both women were awarded a Silver Star for their bravery. One of many reasons why military leadership says these wars could simply not be fought without women in the ranks. Martha Reddatz, ABC News, Washington.

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