And Jacksonville resident Kirsten Holmstedt wants the world to know their story.
Holmstedt's first book, "Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq" will be published by Stackpole Books on Monday. It explores the stories of some of the more than 155,000 American women who have served in Iraq since 2003, some holding a combat role that women have never had before.
"I wanted to show how this experience is playing out for the first time in history," she said. "I wanted to shine the spotlight on these women."
Holmstedt spent more than three years working on her thesis for a Master of Fine Arts at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington by interviewing women all over the country who served in the war. She was inspired by the stories she was told from the first pilot to be shot down and survive to a 21-year-old turret gunner defending convoys.
"All of the women in the book make it sound like dropping bombs or firing missiles or looking for IEDs at night is just another day in the office," Holmstedt said. "To them it is, but to us civilians it's amazing."
The women featured in the book span all of the armed services and range from a nurse and a medic to a truck driver and a public affairs chief.
They're all stories she calls inspiring.
"We named the book 'Band of Sisters' because this is the biggest band of sisters to ever serve in combat," Holmstedt said. "There is the girl who is looking for an IED, the nurse that's holding the Marine's hand while they're dying and she's the last face he sees, and the medic and truck driver who were wounded."
She hopes other women will read the book and want to connect with them.
"I want them to get recognition," she said. "There are no victims in this book, either. They're all tough women, and I admire them for their bravery. I hope the book raises the awareness of the sacrifices and accomplishments of the women in combat."
Such sacrifices have been made by women like Gunnery Sgt. Rose Noel, a mother of two, with Marine Aviations Logistics Squadron 26 at the New River Air Station. Noel, featured in the book, received a Purple Heart for wounds from shrapnel in Iraq in August 2005.
"I'm just proud to be a part of this project," she said. "It just shows that we are out there, we are doing those things, we are bleeding. I get to look in a mirror every day - my scar on my face is three inches long."
First Sgt. Yolanda Mayo, a Marine reservist with 4th Landing Support Battalion and a protocol coordinator for II Marine Expeditionary Force, is just as proud. The mother of two spent time in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Mayo was part of one of the first female public affairs teams to go into Iraq.
"I got to go so many places and meet so many people because of my job," said Mayo, who is featured in the book. "It's a totally different world in Baghdad, going out for trips to Ramadi and Jordan, interviewing the first female Iraqi soldiers and Prime Minister (Alad) Allawi (of Iraq). I can't believe when I'm looking back now some of the things I actually did. I became part of history I guess."
Mayo said it's "a true honor" to be a part of "Band of Sisters," which has already won the Founder's Choice Award for 2007 by the Military Writer's Society of America. She hopes it brings more awareness to women in combat.
"I'm not taking anything away from the men - they're our brothers in arms - but you don't hear as much about the women," Mayo said. "We love our country just as much as any man. We're trying to make a difference, too."
Sgt. Chrissy DeCaprio, 22, a turret gunner with the military police featured in the book, said she learned a lot in combat.
"It's pretty rewarding," she said. "To think that somebody like me, a small little girl, can go out there and make a big difference, it's definitely a really good feeling."
DeCaprio conducted numerous convoys and security patrols in the scout vehicle looking for improvised explosive devices.
"I was the only female of my whole team, and I was put in charge after being promoted," she said. "Sometimes it was difficult, but it was really rewarding. We came across IEDs all the time."
Those experiences helped her grow.
"It definitely taught me that I could actually do this, I could actually go out into combat and lead Marines successfully," she said. "And the fact that I could bring every single one of those Marines back was rewarding."
Mayo said she is thankful she was given the chance to tell her story.
"(Holmstedt) really immersed herself into this book to find out what our lives are really like," she said. "Although she's never put on the uniform, she empathizes with us. She wants to tell our story, and that in itself was an honor. If nobody even read the book, she at least had the courage to step up and say their story needs to be told, and I'll be forever grateful for that."
The public is invited to the kickoff for "Band of Sisters" on Thursday, June 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jacksonville Country Club. For more information on the book or how to buy it, visit the Web site www.bandofsistersbook.com.
I dont care about their story.