Women's Role In Special Operations Teams Are Now In The Spotlight With The Death Of Army 1st Lt. Ashley White

This undated photo provided by the North Carolina National Guard shows 1st Lt. Ashley White from Alliance, Ohio. White, along with two enlisted men, were killed Oct. 22, 2011, by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/North Carolina National Guard)

Soldier’s Death Highlights Women’s Role In Innovative Program With Special Operations Teams -- Washington Post/AP

WASHINGTON — Army 1st Lt. Ashley White died on the front lines in southern Afghanistan last weekend, the first casualty in what the Army says is a new and vital wartime attempt to gain the trust of Afghan women.

White, like other female soldiers working with special operations teams, was brought in to do things that would be awkward or impossible for her male teammates. Frisking burqa-clad women, for example.

Her death, in a bomb explosion in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar, underscores the risks of placing women with elite U.S. special operations teams working in remote villages.

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My Comment: Being on the front contains risks .... one that I am sure that Army 1st Lt. Ashley White always knew. Our prayers are with her family during this difficult time.