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I agree there is conflicting information surround the testimoney of (then) Maj Cornum---now Col Cornum.

There are over 200 "hits" on her name in yahoo alone, many of them fawning, or with an agenda. But, then, this forum can be said to have an "agenda" also.

There is this letter, however, which does confirm that Cornum has been inconsistent on her portrayal of what exactly occurred. As I said, I am positive she told others she was raped, and then downplayed the incident into on "molestation."

Another Gulf War POW testified that he attempted to stop several Iraqi guards from raping her again, and was beaten "to a pulp."

Regardless, I mention this only because I believe it relevant to this debate. I wish to say to all our wonderful vets, both male and female--that you have done a tremendous service to your nation. To belittle all women in the ranks as "whores" as I read in previous posts is wrong and impugns the integrity of women who have served honorably.

I have also been searching the Internet for information about Cornum treatment. I found several sites that quoted from the President's Commission saying she had been digitally violated vaginally and anally. She was not raped because the guard could not get her flight suit off over her broken arms.

I found this site cached by Google. It has a pretty complete report of both Cornum's and Rathbun-Nealy's experiences while in captivity. While this site clearly has an agenda, it also has a pretty interesting analysis of women in the military.