|
every seven troops serving in Iraq is a woman, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Hirschinger, commander of 615th ASB. Suzan’s speech, the highlight of the celebration, talked about hardships the Iraqi women face each day. “Traditions and customs have the essential role of controlling the Iraqi woman’s personality and have caused the loss of her identity,” she said. “She was torn between accepting those traditions and customs or rejecting them.” While the current way of life has kept Iraqi women out of sight, a new hope of equality was slowly rising. Under the Coalition Provincial Authority, the new Iraqi military hired the first squad of 20 female soldiers in July 2003. “This is the reality; we need female (Iraqi) soldiers,” said Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Jaleel Khalaf, an early commander of Iraqi Army 1st Brigade. “If I had the power of hiring, I’d have a female battalion.” According to Suzan, the top reason Iraqi women were losing freedoms was because of terrorism and its ideals which limit the role of women in Iraqi society. While progress to bring freedom to Iraq continues, the mission is not over, said Suzan. There should not be any rest until it is completed. |
