On a dark night in February 2005, Sara Sheldon arrived at Camp Fallujah, outside the dangerous ancient city for which it was named. At first glance, she could have easily been mistaken for a Marine as she donned a Kevlar helmet and a state-of-the-art flack jacket. But at the age of 70, armed only with a camera, a laptop, and notepads, it was clear her mission was different. She was a spectator to the war who secured permission to embed with the 1st MEF and observe and interview "Marines who happened to be women" then posted at Camp Fallujah. In the time she spent there, Sheldon interviewed women who held ranks from corporal to colonel to gain a broad and varied perspective of the experiences representative of female Marines throughout Iraq.

Includes index.

Acronyms -- 1. Arriving in Iraq -- 2. Women Marines : choosing to be the best -- 3. The guys' gun club -- 4. Culture clash : women warriors in Iraq -- 5. Winning hearts and minds -- 6. Women in combat -- 7. Gung Ho : focus on the mission -- 8. The future : career Marines or moving on -- 9. The memories -- 10. Coming home -- Appendix. U.S. Marine Corps abbreviations of rank -- Glossary.