As we observe this year’s Veterans Day, the following books in the library’s collection highlight women’s deployment in combat.
A Few Good Women: America’s Military Women from World War I to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by Evelyn M. Monahan & Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee. New York: Knopf, 2010. UB418 .W65 M66 2010
The never before told story of the women who fought for the right to defend their country by serving in combat units. Interviews, correspondence, diaries and archived material tell the remarkable story of the women who comprise over 15 percent of the U.S. armed forces.
The Girls Come Marching Home: Stories of Women Warriors Returning from the War in Iraq by Kirsten Holmstedt. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole, 2009. DS79.76 .H653 2009
In 2003, women fought on the front lines in Iraq for the first time. This book is an unforgettable account of the call to action and the emotional aftermath of combat by female members of the U.S. armed forces.
I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story by Rick Bragg. New York: Knopf, 2003. DS79.76 .B73 2003
Bragg tells the story of Jessica Lynch who survived an ambush attack in the desert only to be captured and imprisoned by the Iraqi’s. Her rescue galvanized the nation and she became a symbol of victory, innocence and courage.
Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War by Kara Dixon Vuic. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2010. DS559.44 .V85 2010
The author interviewed over 100 women to create these vivid personal accounts of army nurses during the Vietnam War. The author also explores the gender issues that arose in the male-dominated army at that time. Women drawn to the patriotic promise of service faced disturbing realities in the virtually all-male hospitals of South Vietnam.
When Janey Comes Marching Home: Portraits of Women Combat Veterans by Laura Browder & photographs by Sascha Pflaeging. Chapel Hill: North Carolina UP, 2010. U52 .W475 2010
These photographs by Sascha Pflaeging, accompanied with oral histories, provide a dramatic portrait of women at war. These stories tell not just what it’s like to be under fire, but also how to cope with motherhood, marriage, sexism, sacrifice and duty.
Women in the United States Armed Forces: a Guide to the Issues by Darlene M. Iskra. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger. 2010. UB418 .W65 I85 2010
This volume covers over a century of accomplishments by military women, from the Civil War to current wars in the Middle East. During World War II, 565 women in the Women’s Army Corps received combat decorations proving women had the courage, strength and stamina for battle. But it wasn’t until the late 1970s that women had opportunities to serve at sea and in the air. The book reviews today’s issues, including sexual harassment, while noting women’s performance in Iraq and Afghanistan, contributed to positive change in attitude within the predominantly male military.
