The untold story of the female soldiers who fought in some of the bloodiest battles in Iraq. U.S. policy forbids women from serving in military units whose primary objective is direct ground combat. So how did a group of female support soldiers end up fighting alongside Marines in some of the most violent counterinsurgency battles of the Iraq War? LIONESS traces the stories of 5 female support soldiers who served in Iraq in various capacities--mechanic, supply clerk, engineer--and ultimately became the first women in American history to be sent into direct ground combat. These women's experiences illuminate the emotional and psychological effects of war from a uniquely female perspective.