Six soldiers assist in cordon and search operations during Operation Together Forward
By 1st Lt. Amanda Leggett
704th Support Battalion
4th Brigade Combat Team
4th Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, Oct. 16, 2006 — A group of soldiers sat down on a Saturday afternoon, casually exchanging stories from a mission recently completed in the residential neighborhoods of Baghdad.
Although the tales of their exploits sound typical of any group of soldiers fighting on the front lines, there is something remarkably different about these six soldiers – they are females.
Trained in military occupational skills ranging from petroleum supply to radiology specialists, the six women comprise the three female search teams the 704th Support Battalion provides to support the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
The combat units of the 101st Airborne Division and 1st Armored Division, currently working with the 4th BCT in central and southern Baghdad are supported by the female soldiers, who assist in cordon and search operations – and especially to interact with local Iraqi women.
“We were helpful because it made (the Iraqi women) feel more comfortable,” said Spc. Felicia Allen, small-arms towed artillery repair specialist, Company B, 704th Support Battalion.
The female soldiers played an important role because they could search Iraqi women without violating the cultural rules that limit contact between unmarried men and women, said Sgt. Jacqueline Paprzycki, special electronic device repair noncommissioned officer, Company B.
Paprzycki, from Graceville, Fla., explained that in most of the houses searched, the Iraqi women were moved to a separate room as soon as the male soldiers arrived to clear the house.
On average, the Iraqi men, women and children seemed surprised to see female soldiers, and they generally respond positively to the women in uniform. However, the patent disparity between the two cultures’ treatment of women led to some interesting situations for the soldiers on the female search teams.
Spc. Sylvia Beach, radiology specialist, Company C, 704th Support Battalion, recounted, “One older man in a house we searched got mad at me when I gave him an order to sit down because I was a female.”
In light of the cultural differences, several of the female soldiers think that their presence set a positive example for the Iraqi women.
“I feel like we gave them hope to see a female in uniform,” said Spc. Linda Green, ammunition specialist, Company A, 704th Support, Battalion.
Most of the soldiers from the female search teams also gained a new perspective of the 4th Brigade Combat Team’s mission in Baghdad from their experiences during Operation Together Forward.
“Before I came out here, I didn’t have much of an opinion of why we were here,” said Green, a native of Detroit. “But when you go out of the (forward operating base) and see how these people live day-to-day – houses made of mud, trash in the front yard, little electricity – I was impressed with how our military is working to help them.”
Although aspects of the mission were challenging, such as 16-hour days walking from house-to-house, all the women agree they enjoy being a part of the search teams.
“I felt like we made a difference,” said Sgt. Cynthia Pratt, petroleum supply noncommissioned officer, Company B. “We were out there with the (front-line soldiers). Anything they did, we did. The soldiers from all the units took care of us and made us feel like part of the team from day one. I was proud to be an American – especially seeing the freedoms we have as females.”
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