Tell that to all the nurses in the MASH units, and the soldiers, Marines and Airmen they saved. This female soldier was a supply clerk and was supposed to be out of immediate combat area, but she was still a soldier and undoubtedly knew how to use her M-16 or M-9. Hopefully, if she's gone, she took a few Iraqies with her. Being a "country girl" she may have known how to shoot before she ever joined the Army. One hopes so, because that would increase the chances of her taking a few of Saddam's minions with her.
Well, she supposedly knew how to handle her weapon, but what passes for marksmanship training in the Army is sadly lacking. I have seen soldiers, men and women, who couldn't hit a 150 meter pop-up 5 times out of 10. The Marines do a much better job of training their troops to shoot at longer ranges, from more positions, and under more duress than the Army does.
I hesitate to mention this, because others have been flamed in recent days for doing the same, but there's also the definite possibility that no one in the lost convoy fired even a single shot in their defense. After all, think back to our three Cav Scouts who got captured by Serb villagers back in 1999. They all had -16s and -9s, as well as a .50-cal atop their HMMWV, and not a single round was fired. They just surrendered, and they were combat arms guys (my old MOS, in fact), soldiers you'd think had plenty of fight in them. It's not pleasant to think about, but it's a definite possibility.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!