27 July 2010 Last updated at 21:29

In pictures: US women combat veterans

Sgt Jocelyn Proano, US Marine Corps (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

Although the US military officially bars women from serving in active combat, in Iraq and Afghanistan the lines between battle and supply roles are blurred. More than 235,000 women have deployed to combat zones, with 129 killed. Photos by Sascha Pflaeging

Sgt First Class Deidre Coley, US Army (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

In interviews with dozens of women for her book When Janey Comes Marching Home, author Laura Browder found women combat veterans were surprisingly eager to deploy. Many said they found it easier to fight a war than deal with the pressures of home life.

Sgt First Class Gwendolyn-Lorene Lawrence, US Army (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

Amid low morale in her unit after the US intervention in Bosnia, Army Sgt First Class Gwendolyn-Lorene Lawrence was cited for insubordination and dereliction of duty. She asks: "Why do we, as females, got to keep re-proving and re-proving ourselves?"

Major Veronica Hutfles, US Air Force (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

Women in the US military serve as military police, convoy gunners, explosive-sniffing dog handlers, bomber pilots and in other roles that expose them to combat. Many said they saw military service as a way to prove themselves equal citizens.

Capt Gabriela Ordonez-Mackey, US Army (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

Some of the many mothers Browder interviewed said they had grown more attached to their comrades than their own children and found the divided loyalty troubling. Army Capt Gabriela Ordonez-Mackey, a lawyer, joined after the 11 September, 2001 attacks.

Sgt Paigh Bumgarner , Virginia Army National Guard (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

Virginia Army National Guard Sgt Paigh Bumgarner said it took surviving a brutal firefight to earn the respect of some male comrades. "There was one cop in her unit who said women don't belong out here," Browder said. "He shut up after that."

Ensign Colleen Fagan, US Navy (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

"If I can go back in, I will," said former Navy Ensign Colleen Fagan. "I have tasted both sides of the fence, and I think I prefer the military life over the carefree."

Staff Sgt Connica McFadden, US Army (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

US Army Staff Sgt Connica McFadden and her husband, also a soldier, deployed at the same time when their daughter was six months old. When they returned nine months later, their daughter did not recognise them.

Staff Sgt Laweeda Blash, US Army (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

"In the military they're trained to adopt a certain posture, and they really think of themselves as soldiers first and women second," Browder said.

Staff Sgt Jamie Rogers, US Army (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

"These women are so fascinating," Browder said. "They force us to rethink the relationship between women, patriotism and violence. They force us to rethink what motherhood means and what being a soldier means."

Sgt Katharine Broome, Virginia Army National Guard (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

Browder speculates that women soldiers project strong loyalty to the mission and their comrades in part out of fear of not being considered "real soldiers".

Capt Kelly Nocks, US Army (Image: Sascha Pflaeging)

Army Capt Kelly Nocks nearly lost her leg in an IED attack in Iraq and endured 18 operations and 15 months of recovery. "I know I'm going back," she said. "I will deploy. And I accept that I could lose my leg any time." (Pictures: Sascha Pflaeging)

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In pictures: US women combat veterans

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