Women Serving in the Armed Forces

More women have been killed in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq than in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined.

Sgt. First Class Juanita Wilson knows the personal sacrifice of fighting a war all too well. Seven months into her tour, the mother of two became the first American mother to lose a limb in Iraq. "Right outside of Baghdad, my convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device," she says. "I looked down and realized that there was no left hand there."

Juanita didn't realize the limitations of her injury until a month later—her daughter Kenyah had simply asked for a sandwich. "For the first time I had to say to my kid that, 'No, Kenyah, I can't fix you a sandwich,'" she says. "I don't think I'll ever forget that day because it was the most painful day to me"