Well the imaging of women
troops during the Iraq and
Afghanistan Wars have been
mixed, confusing, and more
often, missing in action
altogether.

We had the great story of
Private Jessica Lynch and
her rescue from an enemy
hospital. But any ground
that we had gained on that
in the news media, quickly
went to hell in a handbasket
when it came to Abu Graib.

After that, it's as if the
national press could care
less about women in combat.

Here and there, I have picked
up a woman-amputee story which
really does bring home the
sensibilities of how awful
it is to see a young person
without limbs because of
military service.

But another question is whether
or not women are pursuing
scenarios of valor or are
they playing it safe at
every turn in the field? We
may never know since they
are rarely featured on TV
news.

And now that women are finally
allowed in the combat fronts,
what are they themselves
saying about the equality factor
and whether or not it is really
a good thing ??

The lack of interest by the
news media on women troops has
really been stunning of sorts
and at times, the reporters
have given themselves more
of a troop identity than they
have the women who are actually
wearing the stripes and bars.
So what is the public to make
of this lop-sided imaging
coming from the front?

Because of the way that
both the NATO-caused wars
have evolved, and by the
way that National Guard
people have been unexpectedly
sucked into international
crisis, there is also the
unanswered questions about
women troops who are also
mothers leaving children
behind in the face of duty.
The unexpected factor surely
has a lot of play here.

And the crowd which is my
personal favorite: those who
did their time, got out, and
now have a lot to say about
it all --- that crowd has
yet to receive equal time
at the national media microphones.
Why are THEY being silenced?
The Vietnam era troops had
TV cameras at every corner
back in the day, so what is
going on with this news blackout
on them now?

Once again it seems that
women troops are pushed to
the back of the recognition
bus at a moment in time
when all of history is playing
out around them.