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
Though barred from combat, women in military service do have de facto roles in combat. Tammy Duckworth, former assistant secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (l., at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.),lost her legs in combat while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter. "When I'm asked if the country is ready for women in combat, I look down at where my legs used to be and think, 'Where do you think this happened, a bar fight?' " Cliff Owen/AP/File
Army military police officer Spc. Samantha San Miguel is "captured" during prisoner of war training at Camp New York in northern Kuwait. John Moore/AP/File
Tearful U.S. Staff Sgt. Alicia Watckins salutes during a ceremony at a U.S. military base in Kabul, Afghanistan marking the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Musadeq Sadeq/AP
Col. Jeannie Leavitt, Commander of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C. is the first female jet fighter pilot in US history and first woman to command a fighter wing squadron. Military women largely have been unable to serve in such high commands because, barred from combat, they have been unable to get the experience they need to advance. James Robinson/Special to the Christian Science Monitor
"[Someone who didn’t want women to fly fighters] was concerned that the standards would change. But those standards are set – gender doesn’t matter," says Air Force Col. Jeannie Leavitt, the first female jet fighter pilot in US history and first woman to command a fighter wing squadron. James Robinson/Special to the Christian Science Monitor
"I was shocked [to have male Special Operations officers say], 'You’re fighting the good fight.,' " says Army Reserve Col. Ellen Haring, who has filed a lawsuit to open combat positions to women. Courtesy of Ellen Haring
Air Force Maj. Allison Black was known as the ‘Angel of Death’ among Taliban fighters because it was her voice calling in airstrikes in the early days of the war in Afghanistan. "As a woman," she says, "I would be devastated if any man gave up information to protect me [if captured by the enemy]. I would expect to be whooped up on ... just like the guys." US Air Force
President Obama greeted servicemen and women at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo., earlier this year. Jason Reed/Reuters/File
Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody gives a thumbs up to recognize her father on Nov. 14, 2008, during her promotion ceremony to four-star General at the Pentagon. She is the first woman to achieve a four star ranking, typically reserved for soldiers with combat experience, which women technically are not supposed to have. Susan Walsh/AP/File
Senior Air Force ROTC Det. 370 cadet Cynthia Archambeau prepares for a 1.5-mile run at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Ann Hermes/Staff
Capt. Sara Rodriguez of the Army 101st Airborne Division splashes water on her face during expert field medical badge
Airman 1st Class Alexis LoBasso works on an F-15E fighter jet.
1st Lt. Kimberly Guest (l.), operations officer for security forces at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C., shares a laugh on the flight line with Senior Master Sgt. Tracy Wehner, 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron assistant superintendent. James Robinson/Special to the Christian Science Monitor
An unidentified female US Army captain posed inside an Apache combat helicopter at the army base at Bagram, Afghanistan, in 2003. Gurinder Osan/AP
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
Israeli Arab Arin Shaabi's job as a military prosecutor for the Israel Defense Forces puts her in the difficult position of handling the cases of fellow Arabs, earning her hatred from some.
Arin Shaabi walks a fine line between Arab and Jew every day.
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