Free Republic

(CNSNews.com) - An investigation into how a Marine sergeant serving in the Persian Gulf was able to keep her pregnancy secret from her superiors could eventually result in constructive changes for men and women in the armed services, a military watchdog group said Friday. The 33-year-old Marine, who gave birth to a healthy 7-pound boy aboard the amphibious ship USS Boxer in the Persian Gulf on May 23, allegedly told her superiors she did not know she was pregnant. How a pregnant Marine serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom managed to keep her condition secret struck some officials and observers as...

<p>A Marine gave birth aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Persian Gulf last month, marking what Pentagon officials believe is the first time an active-duty woman delivered a baby on a combat ship in a war zone.</p>

April 20, 2003 IN THE NORTH ARABIAN GULF -- The amphibious assault ships of Task Force 51 come together in an unprecedented formation during operations in the North Arabian Gulf. This marked the first time that six large deck amphibious ships from the East and West coasts have deployed together in one area of operations. Led by the flag ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1), the ships in the second row from bottom to top are USS Saipan (LHA 2) and USS Kearsarge (LHD 3); and the third row ships are USS Boxer (LHD 4), USS Bataan (LHD 5) and USS...