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Kirsten Holmstedt
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Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq Kindle Edition

by Kirsten Holmstedt (Author), Tammy Duckworth (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 309 ratings
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* Winner of the 2007 American Authors Association Golden Quill Award

* Winner of the 2007 Military Writers Society of America Founders Award

In Iraq, the front lines are everywhere . . . and everywhere in Iraq, no matter what their job descriptions say, women in the U.S. military are fighting--more than 155,000 of them. A critical and commercial success in hardcover, Band of Sisters presents a dozen groundbreaking and often heart-wrenching stories of American women in combat in Iraq, such as the U.S.s first female pilot to be shot down and survive, the militarys first black female pilot in combat, a young turret gunner defending convoys, and a nurse struggling to save lives, including her own.

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  1. Print length
    388 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Stackpole Books
  5. Publication date
    September 5, 2008
  6. File size
    6994 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Holmstedt started studying the experience of women marines when she lived near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Her research became a master's thesis in creative writing and the most up-to-date discussion of women in the current war. Unblushingly in favor of women in combat, she doesn't whitewash their experiences or exaggerate their achievements. Their male colleagues aren't universally accepting, but many of them admit that the women are performing effectively; since 20 percent of the troops currently in Iraq are women, they must. Following the tradition of American soldiers before them, they say that they are "just doing the job." That is, they are flying F-18s into enemy ground fire, driving Hummers and trucks that may be ambushed at any moment, and playing invaluable roles in intelligence operations and in the nation building that is one of the more positive aspects of a seemingly interminable and frustrating conflict. Nearly 500 female soldiers have been killed or wounded in Iraq. Invaluable as well as readable. Green, Roland

Review

"An extremely well-written book., Highly recommended!" RNSA Summer 2008

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003M69X6G
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stackpole Books; 1st edition (September 5, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 5, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6994 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 388 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 309 ratings

About the author

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Kirsten Holmstedt

Kirsten Holmstedt

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
309 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The Lionesses Speak Out!
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book was a total surprise to me. Why? I had totally forgotten about women: One, being in the military. Two, on the Front Line, and in active combat like the men!

I'm talking about Marine Cobra pilots, Kiowa pilots, .50 cal.gunners, and much more. Many of these brave warriors(esses) were the first women assigned to all male units, and the guys had to adjust big time.

On naval vessels, and on bases, the once all male accommodations had to be reconfigured to house the ladies. However, they weren't there to gripe about unequal accommodations. They just wanted a chance to serve their country in the capacity with which they were blessed.

At first they were not accepted, by their male compatriots. But, they earned acceptance by showing what they were truly made of when severe trials came to test their nettle. By showing they were just as good as and sometimes better than the men.

This is an excellent book for those who would like to have more insight into this little known part of military history. It is informative, hard hitting, tough, and tender.

Many of the women were humble and didn't want accolades. It was all just a day's work to them. Even more chose not to speak for their own personal reasons.

However for those who did, this is where the Lionesses have their say. . . . .
One person found this helpful
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NenetteU
5.0 out of 5 stars A great tribute!
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
Picture this: A woman pumping her legs on the treadmill; lips parted; panting; trying hard not to cry...That was me, actually; and yes, if you looked closer, you'd see I have a book open in my iPhone on the treadmill's console. This book is not the ideal treadmill companion, as the crying will get in the way of the panting.

Seriously, this is a great book. Just like the author, who didn't have a clue of what it's like, we will all benefit from knowing how the US women soldiers braved it out in the battlefield, both as support personnel, and front liners (but as they say, "in Iraq, there are no front lines").

Difficult as it may seem, many of these women are actually mothers, who left behind very young children. They had a duty to fulfill, and they stood up for it; they didn't back down. As they said, they were soldiers first, before they were mothers. One of them didn't want her children to be fighting the same battle ten or fifteen years down the line, so she fought it for them.

Recognition and distinction are the last things in these women's minds during and even after their time in service. They only knew to serve. But they deserve recognition, they deserve distinction. Sure, most of them were awarded medals and ribbons. But with the words of their stories in printed form, this book gives to them what I believe they truly deserve - that the world comes to know about these modern day heroes.
2 people found this helpful
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E. L. Sapp
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Variety, Good Stories
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
I like how the author profiled women of various ranks, profession, and service. It gives a wide base from which to view the experience of women serving in Iraq. None of the stories are really in-depth, but that isn't the point. We aren't supposed to focus on one, or a small group. Each of these women has a story to tell.

I also enjoyed being able to read this book well after the fact to know what happened to some. Tammy Duckworth (who is not profiled, but who wrote the introduction) is listed as the head of the Illinois VA - which she was at the time. Of course now, she is Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). Amy McGrath is shown as a Marine Captain early in her career as a WSO in a F/A-18. Although the book does say she later had eye surgery and became a F/A-18 pilot, the author could not know she would retire as a LTCOL and recently (as I write this) lost election to the US House from Kentucky.
2 people found this helpful
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S. Warfield
5.0 out of 5 stars Band of Sisters by Kirsten A. Holmstedt
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2012
Verified Purchase
Band of Sisters is an excellent account of several woman in the military who served with dedication and courage in Iraq. They represent just about every branch of the Armed Forces in the United States, and several of them are from the Marine Corps. Women have served in just about every war, but never as helicopter pilots, pilots of C130s, or as gunnery sergeants. Some are nurses and some record or photograph the news from the area and send it back to the States, but all of these women covered in the book were there because they wanted to be there.

The author lives close to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, so she had access to a lot of Marines. Some that she interviewed were wives and mothers who made the difficult decision to leave family behind and go to war. One of the nurses grew up in a family of migrant workers, moving all over the country, but she won several awards for her work in Iraq. She doesn't even remember the names of the awards or what they were for because they were of little importance to her compared to her own personal mission of helping the wounded with care and compassion.

What I enjoyed most about this book was reading about how the women were accepted by their male counterparts and the camaraderie that grew among them. Sometimes the women were able to sit down with a male soldier or Marine and talk about their children and reassure the man about a sick child at home, because the man had things blown out of proportion from fear and worrying. They all helped each other, and it was a pleasure to read about how well things went when they were all on the same team and working together for a common goal. It is also good to know that there was a lot of respect going both ways for commanders in these interviews and stories of women in war. The women respected their male commanders and the men respected the female commanders and trusted them.

The days have passed when women in the military either did nursing or a desk job. Making it legal for women to serve in combat is being discussed presently, but for many of them, they have already been there.

Everyone should enjoy this book and it's a book that everyone should read. It brings the reality of war a little closer as seen through the eyes of women in the military, and tells us how they cope and what their strategies are for when they think they can't.

Highly recommended.
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Maj-Mayhem
5.0 out of 5 stars There are no front lines in war anymore.
Reviewed in Canada on July 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
These tales of heroism and uncertainty show the difficulties faced, not just by woman warriors but by all soldiers in combat. That the stories are told from women’s perspectives shows that in combat, bombs and bullets don’t care what your gender is. This was a great read.
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