In the fifteen years between the end of the Vietnam War and the start of Operation Desert Shield, the armed forces of the U.S. opened up many specialties to women. Although women are still restricted from combat, the nature of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, with blurred lines of engagement, have placed more servicewomen in harm’s way. With greater responsibilities have come increased risk of injury and the after-effects of armed engagements with an elusive and persistent enemy.

	“It’s the only time I’ve ever had where I had one thing to think about and nothing else to worry about.” (Audio interview, 14:23) A lifelong adventurer, Lee Lane joined the military to become a helicopter pilot. The first female helicopter pilot in her Illinois National Guard unit, she spent her time overseas zooming across the Iraqi countryside, 50 feet above the ground. Unlike many soldiers in Iraq who were stationed only in one or two locations, her role as a pilot afforded her a unique, ever-changing view of the country’s varied terrain and diverse population.
Go and experience Lee Ingrid Lane's story	Experience more stories of the Persian Gulf & Iraq /Afghanistan
“You are just going and going and going, and the mission doesn’t stop.” -- Marissa Pelke
“Most of the kids I saw over there, most of the kids I worked with, were younger than my kids...” Cookie Avvampato's story “We were heroes in their eyes.” Mary Cox's story “...if that happened to get us in there so we can do the same missions without getting shot at, wonderful.” Holly R. Harrison's story “Nurses are not nice to nurses.” Diane M. Henderson's story “You would have thought that their lives depended on getting this tanker unstuck.” Rebecca Winter Jones' story “When you weren’t at work, you were sleeping.” Rosa M. McNeely's story “You are just going and going and going, and the mission doesn’t stop.” Marissa L. Pelke's story “...the emphasis still was more on trying to make women look pretty in uniform...” Brenda A. Vosbein's story