female troops

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Dad Says Military Masked Rape-Murder as Suicide

Questions raised about dead soldiers who may have been sexually abused

(Newser) - 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

Assaults often lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, survey of 125K finds

(Newser) - 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'

Lawmaker discovers 41% of female vets at one hospital have been vicitms

(Newser) - 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...

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

Women discharged more often than men for homosexuality

(Newser) - 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...

First British Woman Killed in Afghanistan

Servicewoman dies in bomb attack on convoy

(Newser) - 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"...

Female Troops' Divorce Rate More than Double Men's

Rate was much higher even in peacetime

(Newser) - 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...

6 Stories