May 26, 2011 2:10 PM
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The "forgotten" vets: Women
Officially, women aren't allowed to serve in combat under current Pentagon rules, but try telling that to the families of the 140 U.S. servicewomen who have died and the 760 servicewomen who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The truth is that women have been serving in combat already," out-going Sec. of Defense Robert Gates admitted to troops in April.
Looking back at past wars like Vietnam, many women found themselves near the frontlines while serving as combat nurses, and they faced many of the same problems male soldiers did upon returning home. Morley Safer told their story in his touching 1989 report, "The Forgotten Veterans."
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