female troops news stories on Newser

Dad Says Military Masked Rape-Murder as Suicide

Mary Papenfuss — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 10:40:00 CDT

A California father is accusing the US military of covering up the rape and murder of his soldier daughter who authorities say committed suicide, reports the Los Angeles Times . Army Pfc. LaVena Johnson, found dead of a rifle blast in her mouth in an Iraq contractor's tent without a suicide...

15% of Women Vets Report Sexual Abuse: Study

Matt Cantor — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:47:38 CDT

Some 15% of female Iraq or Afghanistan veterans seeking medical care report suffering sexual trauma, including harassment or assault while on duty, a study finds, with more than half suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The study by the Department of Veterans Affairs surveyed more than 125,000 in 2001-2007, USA...

Sex Assaults Against Women in Military 'Epidemic'

Rob Quinn — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:37:04 CDT

A California congresswoman seeking better protection for military women said she was shocked to discover that 41% of women at a veterans hospital reported being sexually assaulted while in the service, CNN reports. "We have an epidemic here," Jane Harman told a House panel yesterday. "Women in the US military...

Lesbians Bear Brunt of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Jason Farago — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:08:03 CDT

Debates about gays in the military have focused on men, but new information reveals that lesbians have faced much greater "don't ask, don't tell" challenges. Although women make up only 15% of Army and Air Force personnel, nearly half of the soldiers and airmen discharged for open homosexuality were women....

First British Woman Killed in Afghanistan

Jason Farago — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:32:34 CDT

An attack on a British military convoy in Afghanistan killed four troops, including the first British female soldier to die since the conflict began. The soldiers died in an explosion in Helmand province, Afghanistan's most volatile region, reports the Guardian . British Foreign Secretary David Miliband expressed his "deepest condolences" and...

Female Troops' Divorce Rate More than Double Men's

Rob Quinn — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:40:17 CDT

Female troops divorce at nearly twice the rate of their male comrades, Divorce360 reports, and the military is stumped as to why. Data from 2006 show male soldiers divorce at a rate of 2.7%—lower than the general population's 3.6%—but that leaps to 7% among women. The...