In Pictures: Derby Day devotees, Kenyan style
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/16
In Pictures: Dazzle like Beckham
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/15
In Pictures: Duchess Kate's royal baby bump
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/14
In Pictures: Keffiyeh is rebel chic
Combat medic Pvt. Liliana Nuñez from Brownsville, Texas, helps treat an Afghan National Army soldier who accidentally shot himself in the foot. Nuñez is a member of the Female Engagement Team (FET) and was returning from patrol when the emergency occured. Cheryl Hatch
Spc. Melicia James (l.) takes notes while on patrol near Khenjakak, Afghanistan. The FET women wear scarves to help identify them as a female on patrol. The women are not technically in combat, but out on patrol, they are exposed to combat dangers. Cheryl Hatch
Soldiers with FET attached to the 1-5 Infantry join a foot patrol with members of 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, on a mission near Khenjakak in Panjwai District in southern Kandahar Province.
Language assistant Mary (left, identified only by her first name for security reasons) and Spc. Melicia James, of Jamaica, N.Y. (far right), have tea with Afghan women in the village of Iman Sahib and look at the women’s embroidery. After conferring with locals, FET soldiers applied for and received a $2,500 grant to help village women buy sewing machines and cloth to make clothes to sell in the market. The male head of each household must approve having FET soldiers speak with his family. Cheryl Hatch
Spc. Melicia James, from Jamaica, N.Y., kneels and tries to encourage young Afghan girls to approach her. James was on the first day of an air assault mission near Molla Dust with soldiers from 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company. While soldiers checked village homes and compounds for explosive devices, James, as a FET member, spent time meeting with women and children, asking about their health and education concerns and gathering information. Cheryl Hatch
Pfc. Jamie Sterna bends the uniform rules a bit with pink accents on her gloves. ‘Pink’s my favorite color,’ she says. ‘Especially out here, where everything is green and tan.’ Cheryl Hatch
After sleeping in a mud-walled room overnight, Pfc. Jamie Sterna (l.), from Milwaukee, Wis., and Spc. Melicia James, from Jamaica, N.Y., make final adjustments to their gear before leaving on patrol on the second day of an air assault mission in Molla Dust near Khenjakak. Cheryl Hatch
Pfc. Jamie Sterna wears her long blond hair in a bun. Army regulations state that long hair must be pinned or otherwise fastened, and that women’s hairstyles never interfere with the wearing of military headgear, protective masks, or equipment. Cheryl Hatch
FET member Pvt. Liliana Nuñez of Brownsville, Texas, chats online with fellow soldiers, friends, and family at Forward Operating Base Shoja in Panjwai District, known as the ‘heart of the Taliban.’ Cheryl Hatch
Pvt. Liliana Nuñez is waiting to leave on a mission with soldiers with Charlie Company near Khenjakak. They are trained to make contact with Afghan women and discuss their needs. They also gather information and can search Afghan women when necessary. (Male soldiers are forbidden by culture to touch Afghan women.) Cheryl Hatch
Pfc. Craigory Button spots Pfc. Jamie Sterna during a weight-lifting workout. The tattoo on her wrist reads ‘fall or fly.’ The FET teams were inspired by the Marine Corps’ Lioness program, in which women soldiers are trained to search Muslim women. Cheryl Hatch
Sgt. 1st Class Miriam Lopez, from Salina, Puerto Rico (foreground), leads FET soldiers Spc. Melicia James, from Jamaica, N.Y., and language assistant Mary through a round of push-ups during afternoon physical fitness training at Forward Operating Base Shoja, in southern Kandahar Province. Cheryl Hatch
At Forward Operating Base Shoja, Pfc. Jamie Sterna keeps pace with 1st Lt. Ivo Benov during an afternoon physical fitness workout. Cheryl Hatch
In the Morale Recreation Center at Sperwan Ghar, Pfc. Jamie Sterna and Pvt. Liliana Nuñez spend time on Facebook. There are only 10 computers available. The soldiers are limited to 30 minutes on a computer if other soldiers are waiting. Cheryl Hatch
Language assistant Mary uses Skype for a video visit with her 8-month-old son, Omer, in the United States. Omer was 5 months old when Mary was deployed to Afghanistan. She tries to talk to him every night. Cheryl Hatch
Medic Spc. Valerie Cronkhite, from Skipperville, Ala., holds an Afghan infant during a visit with women in Big Reggai near Sperwan Ghar in southern Kandahar Province. FET soldiers distribute shampoo and other amenities to women. They might also teach classes in hygiene. Cheryl Hatch
FET members take a break during a clearing mission with the soldiers of 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment on patrol near Khenjakak. Cheryl Hatch
(L. to r.): Sgt. 1st Class Miriam Lopez, Pfc. Jamie Sterna, and medic Spc. Valerie Cronkhite head out on a mission with soldiers from Bravo Company near Sperwan Ghar in southern Kandahar Province. Cheryl Hatch
Brigade Commander Col. Todd Wood (l.), congratulates Spc. Melicia James, from Jamaica, N.Y., after she was awarded the Army Achievement Medal at Forward Operating Base Shoja, in southern Kandahar Province. Cheryl Hatch
In Pictures: Derby Day devotees, Kenyan style
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/16
In Pictures: Dazzle like Beckham
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/15
In Pictures: Duchess Kate's royal baby bump
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/14
In Pictures: Keffiyeh is rebel chic
Police have arrested suspects in the recent beheading of a girl, but a new report released today by the UN finds that violent acts against women remain under reported and often ignored.
The poor Afghan family never took a photograph of their 14-year-old daughter, Geysina, before her life was cut short.
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