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Follows the experiences of four women who fought in active combat duty in Afghanistan and also worked to gather intelligence about the Taliban from local Afghani women, with whom they were able to cultivate relationships, unlike their male counterparts.
About the author
Eileen Rivers is a USA Today editor and editorial board member. Formerly with the Washington Post, she has been writing and reporting on veteran affairs for more than fifteen years and has produced several multi-media online interactives covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A veteran of the US Army, she served in Kuwait following Desert Storm where she was sent into the former combat zone as an Arabic linguist, collecting and translating information from enemy targets. Rivers lives in Laurel, Maryland.
Summary
A riveting account of three women who fought shoulder-to-shoulder with men and worked with local women to restore their lives and push back the Taliban
They marched under the heat with 40-pound rucksacks on their backs. They fired weapons out of the windows of military vehicles, defending their units in deadly battles. And they did things that their male counterparts could never do--gather intelligence on the Taliban from the women of Afghanistan. As females they could circumvent Muslim traditions and cultivate relationships with Afghan women who were bound by tradition not to speak with American military men. And their work in local villages helped empower Afghan women, providing them with the education and financial tools necessary to rebuild their nation--and the courage to push back against the insurgency that wanted to destroy it. For the women warriors of the military's Female Engagement Teams (FET) it was dangerous, courageous, and sometimes heartbreaking work.
Beyond the Call follows the groundbreaking journeys of three women as they first fight military brass and culture and then enemy fire and tradition. And like the men with whom they served, their battles were not over when they returned home.
Foreword
A riveting account of four women who fought shoulder-to-shoulder with men in Iraq and Afghanistan and worked with local women to restore their lives and village communities
