In Iraq, the front lines are everywhere ...and everywhere in Iraq, no matter what their job descriptions say, women in the U.S. military are fighting - over 155,000 of them. A critical and commercial success in hardcover, "Band of Sisters" presents a dozen groundbreaking and often heart-wrenching stories of American women in combat in Iraq, such as the US' first female pilot to be shot down and survive, the military's first black female pilot in combat, a young turret gunner defending convoys, and a nurse struggling to save lives, including her own.

In the last twenty-five years the U.S. military has seen the abolition of women's separate corps, the appointment of women generals, and an unprecedented increase in the ratio of women to men. Also, women are now permitted to serve on combat planes and ships. Despite these developments, most civilians know very little about women in the military. This collection includes unusual accounts by women on active duty, retired officers, women who have worked for the armed forces in a civilian capacity, and civilian academics. The book offers insights on a variety of pressing issues including minority women, lesbians, combat, the role of gender in weapons design, and the changing mission of the military. Through personal accounts and commentaries, this book dispels many of the myths about women and the military and explores the reasons for the persistence of misconceptions in the face of increased female participation. This comprehensive effort will be of interest to anyone who wants to know the truth about women in the armed forces and will be a wake-up call to women who feel that the military is irrelevant to them. Contributors: Rhonda Cornum, Virginia Solms, Billie Mitchell, Connie L. Reeves, Brenda L. Moore, Nina Richman-Loo, Rachel Weber, Lucinda Joy Peach, M. C. Devilbiss, Carol Burke, Susan Jeffords, Miriam Cooke.

In the very first text of its kind, Women at War brings together all available information and experience on women's physical and mental health in one resource to enlighten the practitioners caring for them. Our U.S Department of Defense is approximately 15% women with over 300,000 womenhaving deployed since September 11th, 2001. This book reviews the epidemiology, changes in policy and demographics of women in the services, the factors affecting their health and health care while serving in austere environments, issues related to reproductive and urogenital health and how healthcare providers can help prepare and prevent illness. The book also looks at mental health issues to include PTSD and other psychological effects of war, intimate partner violence, sexual assault and suicide, as well as the veteran experience. The book brings together researchers, clinicians, and service member experience and presents the informationin a practical, actionable format. It also highlights areas where data is lacking and more study is demanded.