First female soldier to die?

Question

Sarah Bryant's funeral is today. Obviously it is a tragic loss for her family and friends, but in every photo of her (apart from her wedding day) she can be seen weidling a large gun and grinning like a Cheshire cat - all female soldiers say they want to be allowed to get on with the job they have been trained for which amoung other things is to kill people and here is one young lady who unfortunately got killed herself, so why the general sentiment of 'Oh how awful, first woman etc etc'?

Answer 1

She knew exactly what the risks were when she signed up to serve....it is a real shame that people won't remember the  joy she received from her service - they will only whine that she was a weak , unfortunate female .

She is not the first woman to die in the service of her country in Iraq, she is not the first soldier to die for her country...........

Hopefully some day the media won't be so narrow minded and headline grabbing to make distinguishes ~~ & people will check their facts before belittling a soldier.

US Women in the Military - atleast know the facts

432 American military women were killed during World War II

7 women died in the line of duty while serving in theater during the Vietnam War

Almost 41,000 women served in theater during Persian Gulf War. 13 women were killed and two were taken as prisoners of war.

Answer 2

The only thing that annoys me is that her death has overshadowed the deaths of the other three men who also gave their lives that day....it's as though their deaths were less important....we owe a debt to all of them equally...

Answer 3

This is a typical media reaction.

As an ex soldier it pisses me of no end (apologies for the language) that the media in this country constantly keep a score card of those who die in the line of duty. It does nothing for moral of serving troops and only serves to feed the left wing Medias bloody ideological idiocy as well as their coffers!

Soldiers go to war, it is what we do and we do it willingly to protect our homes, our loved ones, and our country.

Yes it is a shame that this young soldier was killed, but she was a soldier, plain and simple. She chose that life, that role, and believe me when I say she would probably be glad that she gave her life doing something that she believed in and loved. Any one of the soldiers who have died in this and previous conflicts will tell you the same.

But the media coverage of this young woman is simply because she was that - a woman. Society can accept men dying, we are fed a constant stream of reports by the media, 2 dead today, 3 injured yesterday, 1 dead the day before. But the notion of a woman in a combat zone is alien to most civilians.

Let me also say that she would not have been a combat soldier, she would have been in that area as support only.

We should not dwell on the fact that she was a woman. We should dwell on the fact that once she signed on that dotted line, she was a soldier. One of the most noble proffessions you can go into. And this soldier, like many before her, gave her life for something she believed in.

Answer 4

Haven't a clue - she signed up the same as any man!

Answer 5

I think that her death is no more or no less tragic than the deaths of other personnel whatever their gender. Today, every person who signs up to serve in the UK (and many other countries' military forces whichever branch) are fully aware of the risks of military life.

There has been a lot of talk and debate as to whether female personnel should serve in the frontline but it is clear that in modern conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan there is no defined frontline as the conflict could and does occur from all directions so they are already frontline soldiers.

Answer 6

She is hardly the first female soldier to die. What about Lori Piestewa? Lori Piestewa served alongside Jessica Lynch, and unlike Jessica, didn't make it home.