The Females Behind Our Military

By Chris G.

Since 9/11, there have been 250,000 female military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women make up 14 percent of on-duty military forces today. Despite them volunteering to serve our country, they still deal with discrimination due to their gender, and other issues such as their loved ones back at home, and finding dignity within themselves. In Undaunted, Tanya Biank gives the inside scoop on four brave individuals, Brigadier Angela Salinas, Second Lieutenant Bergan Flanagan, Sergeant Amy Stokley, and Major Candice O'Brien. Biank gives us their stories, including the struggles and challenges they face.

Undaunted is truly an informative piece, highlighting the discrimination which women in our nation's armed forces face. Her story gives a behind-the-scene look at these soldiers' experiences in the armed forces, experiences which many people in the United States don't learn of through the media. It gives us an idea how hard life is for women who join the armed forces, and serves as a reminder as to how great it is that we live in a free country. After reading I had a new sense of how hard life for females in the military is. This story will give you a sense of how tough life is for soldiers in the military. Undaunted brings to light how important it is that we respect all soldiers, because gender does not change the fact that they are fighting for the same cause as all soldiers. Overall the book is a reminder of the tough experiences women in our military experience, and is an eye-opener to those of us who pass by the thought during our daily lives.