The nature of the United States military has changed. Women have had a presence in the military for some time, but their numbers have now reached unprecedented levels – over 15% of the total force.
As their numbers have climbed, women’s roles have expanded well beyond the limited range of assignments available to them previously. Simultaneously the nature of armed conflict has fundamentally changed. Gone are the days when one could easily define a “combat zone,” and gone with them are easy definitions of what it means to serve “in combat.”
The combination of a changing U.S. military and the changing nature of war have led to a situation where more women serve in the dangers of combat more than ever before. Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen said in November 2010, “I know what the law says and I know what it requires, but I’d be hard pressed to say that any woman who serves in Afghanistan today or who’s served in Iraq over the last few years did so without facing the same risks of their male counterparts.”
Our America of the 21st century has women service personnel who truly are combat veterans, and those who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq now number over 280,000.
Journey to Normal: Women of War Come Home recounts the unprecedented story of women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Filmmaker JulieHera DeStefano launched this project to explore the psychological and social dynamics of their service, to follow their reintegration into civilian life, and to preserve their stories.
Journey to Normal turns the film over to the true storytellers, the women themselves. Their collective narrative reflects these changes in our society and helps to bridge the perceived gap between military and civilian culture.
