voa标准英语2008-Military Women Take on New Roles in Iraq

Despite official U.S. policy banning women from military jobs that could put them into direct combat, women have increasingly been part of the ground operations - and seen fighting - in Iraq. A special team of female soldiers has accompanied male troops on patrols and house-to-house searches. As VOA's Faiza Elmasry tells us, five of these women are sharing their stories in a new documentary film called Lioness.
　

'Lioness' is a documentary that tells the untold1 stories of a group of female soldiers who served in Iraq

Lioness tells the stories of a group of female soldiers who served in Iraq.

"It was a new experience. There are a lot of things about it that were unexpected," says co-director Daria Sommers.

She says she and documentary filmmaker Meg McLagan faced some unexpected challenges themselves in producing Lioness.

"It took a long time to get permissions and to find the women who had already returned home," she says. "We were quite persistent² and said, 'This is an important story because it reflects the changing role of women.'"
　

Filmmakers Daria Sommers (left) and Meg McLagan (right) say the film reflects the changing role of women in the Army

Their 90-minute documentary focuses on five female Army support soldiers who were among the first 20 volunteers for a special all-woman team called Lioness. Ranie Ruthig explains how they were called upon to help defuse tensions among Iraqi civilians⁴.

"We thought it would be a base-support mission to provide food, water, that kind of mission, you know?" she says. "Then the need arose with all-male units going out and searching houses looking for intel [intelligence information] and such.
　

Ruthig says women were needed to do house-to-house searches, not to engage in combat. But when combat came, they had to fight

"By laws over there, a male can't touch another man's wife or family females. They needed a female soldier to look for the information. That's actually how the mission started. We were there to do house-to-house searches, not to engage in combat. But when combat came, we had to fight."

Eventually, Team Lioness became the first female force in U.S. history to find itself in direct ground combat. Ruthig, a mechanic with the first Engineer Battalion⁵, recalls a hunt for insurgents⁶ in Ramadi's narrow streets in April 2004. When the soldiers turned a corner, she says, they were ambushed⁷ by hundreds of Iraqis.

"We didn't know what was going on," she says. "It was nerve-racking, scary. I think the reason we got out OK is the basic training that the military does give us."
　

Team Lioness became the first female force in U.S. history to find itself in direct ground combat

The documentary explores how female soldiers cope with the usual demands of military life, especially leaving young children behind, and also, the challenges of returning to civilian³ life.

"It was hard," Ruthig says. "It was definitely hard, picking up the mom role after a year of not being a mom and not having to deal with day-to-day care of a child. I'm married and have a 9-year-old daughter. Then she was young. She was only 4."

Ruthig says joining the Army was a life-changing experience.

"I joined the Army because I was at a crossroad in my life," she says. "I didn't know what I wanted to do. I went walking by in the mall and saw the recruiter office. I went in to talk to them. I needed to do something with my life until I figure out what I needed to do.

"I stayed in because of the people, the sense of duty and honor that you get out of it. My experience while I was there, I think it changed my life in ways that could never put into words."
　

Women have fought for the United States since the birth of the nation

Women have fought for the United States since the birth of the nation. In the Revolutionary War, they volunteered as cooks, nurses, laundresses and water deliverers. During the two World Wars, women expanded their noncombatant roles, including serving as supply clerks, radio operators, transport pilots and in all aspects of medical care. They continued to serve in these jobs during the Vietnam War. By the 1991 Gulf⁸ War, women were serving in almost every position the armed forces offered, and today, the number of women in the U.S. military has grown to 20 percent.

Lioness co-director Daria Sommers says new roles for women warriors⁹ have brought them closer than ever to the actual battle arena¹⁰.
　

'Lioness' puts names and faces on the changing role of women in the military today

"We want to put names and faces on the emerging and changing role that females are playing in the military today in the United States," she says. "We want people to understand that they [women soldiers] are needed. They are asked to do more. They are asked to do different things, more things than they've ever done unexpectedly than previous conflicts.

"So it's good for Americans to know that when the military is asked and put in these situations, that's not only our sons, it's our daughters, too."

Sommers says the Lionesses displayed strength and courage. She hopes her documentary will bring these women the recognition she says they deserve and focus more attention on the reality of the roles women are playing in the U.S. military today.

1 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

2 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

5 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

6 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

7 ambushed   

v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The military vehicles were ambushed. 军车遭到伏击。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

10 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。