On Monday, KQED highlighted a study by researchers at the University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) which concluded that women soldiers suffer post-traumatic stress as much as their male counterparts. The number of female soldiers in the military has doubled in the past ten years and women are more exposed to combat and other life threatening situations than ever, particularly with the constant duress of IED guerrilla warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This study clearly demonstrates that women are subject to the same combat traumas as their male counterparts and so I am astounded by the fact that women are still kept out of “official” combat roles. The military fails to see that preventative measures should be implemented prior to deployments in order to minimize the physical and mental wounds of war. One simple solution – recognize the fact that women already ARE in combat.

Take my experiences in Iraq for example. I am a woman veteran, and contrary to misguided notions that women in the military are somehow shielded from combat, I experienced combat. I served two tours in Iraq. My unit was stationed at Logistic Support Area Anaconda and Kirkush Military Training Base, both of which are less than 75 miles from Baghdad. At no time did I feel comfortable, confident or secure.

During the 22 months I spent in Iraq I undoubtedly experienced war. On multiple occasions my unit had close encounters with improvised explosive devises and rocket propelled grenades. I witnessed the aftermath of convoys that came under attack, including the blood of my fellow soldiers and the odor of burning diesel from the explosions. On base, the sounds of incoming mortars frequently jolted me awake at night followed by thunderous vibrations from their impact.

When it comes to dealing with the aftermath of combat, I believe that if women were as prepared as their male counterparts, we would not see such staggering rates of physical injuries, depression and post-traumatic stress related to combat among female service members and veterans.

Our women veterans need to be recognized for their service equal to their male counterparts. We pay the same cost for our service and endure the same suffering because it does not discriminate whether male, female, gay, or straight.