Women and combat

Women have played critical roles in the U.S. military for decades and the Obama administration's recent decision to lift a ban on women in combat has furthered gender equality in the armed forces.

Hospital Corpsman Shannon Crowley, 22, a U.S. Navy Sailor working with the FET (Female Engagement Team) 1st Battalion 8th Marines, Regimental Combat team II patrols with male Marines, Nov. 18, 2010 in Musa Qala, Afghanistan. The U.S. had deployed 48 women along the volatile front lines of the war in Afghanistan, in order to gain access where men can't. The women, many of whom volunteer for the 6.5 month deployment, take a 10-week course at Camp Pendleton in California where they are trained for any possible situation, including learning Afghan customs and basic Pashtun language.

Credit: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images