Devastating Impact on Women of All Ages
War has a devastating impact on women and children. The impact is far more reaching than the obvious impact of our women soldiers serving in Iraq and the Iraqi women and children who have been so drastically impacted by this war of greed. This impact is felt by many women who are serving in our armed services, by the partners of significant others who are serving in the war, by women who work with reservists who have been called-up to serve in the war, and by the Iraqi women and girls who are actively involved in the day-to-day fighting.

Our Female Soldiers
We have a large number of female soldiers who are serving (and have served) in this war. Although I am totally against the reason (or lack thereof) of going to war with Iraq (we should have been pursuing Osama bin laden instead of invading this country, whom the 9/11 Commission found had no involvement with the devastating attacks on the East Coast on September 11, 2002), I totally support our troops (both women and men) who are serving and have served (my dad was retired Air Force, so I am very familiar with a soldier's life).

The women who have served and are serving in this war have been pulled away from their families, have seen devastation that many of us in America can't even imagine, and have forever been devastated by the sights and sounds of this terror.

I have a nephew over in Baghdad, and know that this terror felt by our female soldiers is also felt by our men over there. I believe George Bush should volunteer his two daughters, who are my nephew's age, to go fight his war of greed as well.

Women's Life Partners
Many women remain here in the United States as they await daily to hear from their partners who are serving in the war -- both male and female partners. They are now solely responsible for taking care of the home in the absence of their partners and don't even know if they will be returning to them alive from Iraq. The impact is financial and emotional.

One added negative impact on women whose partners in Iraq are also women is that these women don't even get to benefit from the support groups of soldiers' partners because if they were to go, the female soldiers would be discharged from the military (probably only after they have served their terms in Iraq, though).

Co-Workers of Reservists
I worked with a reservist a few years ago. I know he was to be deployed to Iraq. Not only would his family (his wife and children) be negatively impacted financially (he left a high-tech position to go to war and receive a very small percentage of his usual income), but the women and men who work with the reservist must pick-up the slack from the reservist not being able to work at her/his usual job. This will often result in these co-workers working extra hours and on weekends in order to ensure the work continues to get done.

Iraqi Women and Children
Last, but certainly not least is the devastating impact this war has had on the Iraqi women and children. Unfortunately, the conservative media does not regularly discuss the thousands of civilian women and children who have died as a result of this war. Nor does the media cover the financial and health impacts this war has on hundreds of thousands of other women and children.

I cannot provide near the amount of information in this forum that I would like to provide but recommend you check-out the site maintained by The United Nations Development Fund for Women – UNIFEM. It is very detailed and provides a detailed look at the impact of the Iraqi war on women.

To see the large number of men and women (our soldiers) continuing to die from the United States is disheartening, to say the least. I pray for our men and women who are still over there when it's not ever been proven that we had any reason to go to war in the first place. Though the war is "over," more women and men are dying every day. May the blood stop being shed, and may our men and women come home soon to their families, loved ones, and friends.