with very few preconceptions but as i found out very early on i had lots of preconceptions. the first one being since these wars are so unpopular and these combat films are so dangerous with all of the i e ds and mortar attacks that go on, i thought women would be reluctant to go to iraq and afghanistan. the first interview i had that disabuse me of this idea was a colonel in the marines, one of 50 female colonels who told me serving as a public affairs officer for the second battle of volusia was the high point of her life apart from or giving birth to her two children and i thought she is a public affairs officer. of course she will say that but then i heard this from more and more women including lot of women who volunteered to go and who volunteered to go to repeat tours of duty. .. one woman i spoke to, jocelyn parada was a marine sergeant who had been very remote chance to go to iraq and had been ducking out for deployment she said because she had a 1-year-old at home a